When Opportunity Knocks
by Dragonfire707
Summary: Since Heero disappeared, Relena's life has taken some drastic turns. She leaves, and ends up running into the man she never thought she'd see again. But her past is after her, and together they must decide between what is right, and what is destiny.
1. By Chance

-**Chapter 1**-

"_Ah, opportunity…often it comes disguised in the form of misfortune, or temporary defeat."  
__- Napoleon Hill_

"…but since her notable decision to keep the identities of the infamous Gundam pilots a secret, Miss Peacecraft has done phenomenally well."

The camera zoomed in on her elegantly well-proportioned face; the full lips, flawless complexion, and the famous azure eyes bordered by long dark lashes. She sat calmly, her hands folded neatly in her lap, and awaited the next question.

"Tell us, Miss Peacecraft - "

"Relena, please," she interrupted, smiling.

"Relena. Do you regret your decision of four years ago?"

The harsh TV lights shone on her face, illuminating the natural highlights in her light-gold hair. "Of course not," she replied easily. "I still believe the pilots and their families, as well as the rest of the world, are better off without that knowledge. As time has passed, the people have realized that these men have truly moved on from their pasts, and that there is absolutely nothing to fear from them."

"Now, Relena, do you know these men personally?"

The Foreign Minister, easily the most recognized and idolized woman on the Earth and Colonies, smiled again. "I do."

"So you can honestly tell us that they are not the same people they were during the Wars?"

"Yes, I can."

"Each one of them?"

Only the most alert and observant of viewers would notice the very, very slight hesitation before her next words:

"Yes, every one."

"All right then. Let's move on to the next subject - we're going to…"

As the camera swung around to a new angle, her expression was lost for just a moment; and again, only a few people watching might have been able to catch the lightning-quick sadness that tugged at the raised corners of her mouth and allowed her shoulders to sag for just a split second.

And then she was smiling into the camera again, effortlessly divulging her personal life to the millions of people glued to television sets across the planet.

* * *

Late autumn isn't the most ideal time to be working in an automobile garage. Cars have the unkind tendency to break down once the temperature begins to drop; engines installed just a week earlier have to be completely replaced, tires on every vehicle in the town are switched out for their cold-weather counterparts, and it becomes more and more difficult to get a car washed fast enough before it froze.

But then again, he loved a challenge.

"Yuy!"

The gruff voice boomed from around the corner of the garage, where the front register was located. When there wasn't an immediate answer, it sounded again, more exasperated than before.

"Yuy! Get your butt in here now!"

From underneath a battered pickup truck slid the worker on call; wiping greasy hands on jeans that were already stained from the day's work, he got to his feet and strode into the front area.

"About time," the burly man from behind the counter growled, glaring daggers at the tall figure standing nonchalantly in the doorway.

"What can I do for you, boss?"

"We got a customer," he snapped, "who's complaining about a custom paint job that was done on her car and is definitely missing from the order form."

Andy Moore, all two-hundred-sixty pounds of him, was giving the young worker his fiercest glare, and the kid wasn't even flinching.

"Where is she?" he said calmly.

Moore growled, "Out front. She's furious. The thing looks like a Playboy pickup gone wrong. I want you to know, this is an absolute - "

The worker strode past the desk, paying his employer no mind at all, and exited the shop. He was gone for about five minutes before Moore grew curious and went to the window to check on him.

The customer was gone, and the worker nowhere in sight.

Disgruntled, he went back inside the shop, headed to the garage, and immediately sighted the offender.

"Yuy!" Moore bellowed again. "What just happened?"

Not even turning around from the open hood of the truck, he said calmly over his shoulder, "She left."

"What are you talking about, she was furious!"

"I told Hank to apologize. They went to dinner."

For a split second, Moore was speechless. "What - _Hank_ did that?"

Heero was silent, staring at his employer.

"All right…" Moore said slowly. "Point taken. All right…well…as soon as you finish that last order, head on home, Yuy."

"It's done."

Moore shook his head. The kid had worked there for nearly three and a half years now, and every time Moore tried to bust him for something, he came clean. Furthermore, his work was superior to anything Moore had seen in all his years in the shop; but…the guy was just so…so…calm. Nothing ruffled him. It was unsettling, in a way…but he did excellent work and never caused any trouble, and Moore kept him on.

"Well…all right then. You're good for today, Yuy. I'll see you tomorrow at noon."

"Right."

"And, uh…tell Hank to abstain from custom painting from now on, will you?"

"Mmm."

"And from getting the numbers of all the customers?"

The worker paused in the doorway to calmly say, "Good for business" - and then he was gone.

* * *

The tiny town of Willow Lake was already settling into the Christmas mood, even though the snows were unusually late this year. Normally by about the last week in October the kids were already making snowmen at recess in the small elementary school, but now, near the end of the last week in November, the ground was still painfully snow-free.

Heero Yuy drove up the main street of town at an easy speed, enjoying the scene that surrounded him. It was cold and already past six o'clock, so there weren't very many people outside. However, the Christmas lights were up on the grocery store, and from the single stoplight in town hung a festive wreath festooned with pine branches and holly leaves. The lights emanating from inside the houses lining the main road were soft, and the four radio stations offered this high up in the mountains - all country - were already playing Christmas songs.

The drive was quiet and peaceful through the pine trees. There was something about the forest that drew Heero in, that made him feel comfortable and at home. In town, around people and obligations and expectations he was never at ease, never settled…but once he escaped all the - well, all the _people_ - he could finally relax.

He didn't live in the town; no, the money he had saved both from working after the Wars and what he had earned up here had all gone to buy a rundown old cabin about thirty minutes away from Willow Lake. It had taken more than a year to fix up, but it was close enough to the town to provide for work and food and far enough away that he could be on his own and not feel pressure to be social.

The cabin porch light was on, softly illuminating the two-story log cabin, surrounded by stately pine trees and backed by the deep blue waters of a small lake - his lake.

Few people in the town knew where he lived; most assumed it was a cabin somewhere, but he didn't think anyone knew that he pretty much had an entire lake to himself. He had been surprised, too; when he bought the place, the previous owner had said nothing about the lake. However, after clearing a few obstructing pine trees in order to build an addition to the kitchen, he had discovered the peaceful waters. It was probably his favorite part of the whole thing; the lake was stable, constant, unchanging - a symbol of how he was trying to live his life.

He parked the car and got out, and upon entering the house went straight to the kitchen and pulled out the ingredients for dinner.

Thirty minutes later he was sitting contentedly in front of his laptop upstairs, digging into a thick bowl of steaming chili and sternly eyeing the latest reports from the Preventers database. Things were okay back in the city…back in civilization, back in the world of deadlines and politics and strange glances on the corner and friends pushing him to do more; get a job, find a girl, settle down. Back in in _her_ world.

Almost without thinking, he double-clicked until he uncovered the security briefs for the protection of the Foreign Minister. With his most critical eye he perused the reports, looking for any little flaw, any minute detail that might result in something going wrong tonight.

Five minutes later - after he was satisfied - Heero gave himself the usual talk on how he shouldn't be checking that database; he hadn't been her bodyguard for more than four years now. Everything was different: they were living their own lives, the Gundam pilots blissfully unknown to the world. Relena was now protected by an entire force of more-than-capable Preventer officers, and she was going about her life, probably extraordinarily successful…

Assumptions, all of this, because he hadn't had contact with anybody - except Duo - in almost four years. And he had spent that time avoiding any mention of her, whether it be on television, the radio, or otherwise. He had done everything he could to eliminate her from his quiet life high in the mountains. Thus far, it had been a success.

After finishing dinner and reading the last current event, Heero cleaned up the kitchen and then headed back upstairs. He stretched out on the bed, set the alarm for a prompt 5 o'clock a.m., and then turned off the light.

* * *

It wasn't going to happen tonight.

He wouldn't let it.

All his willpower was now focused on one thing and one thing only: avoiding those thoughts and memories that plagued him each night as he tried to get to sleep…

But…it was useless. They came back in his darkest hour, bombarding him as he lost his perfect control of his mind.

There she was, the last time he had seen her; standing at a podium in front of nearly one million people with a forest of microphones from every broadcasting company in the world partly obstructing her pale face. From the view of every human being in the world - who could only see her from the front - she was standing regally, firmly, as she announced what would come to be known as the most monumental decision thus far in her young career. But Heero, from his hidden location in the wings of the stage, saw how fiercely her hands were shaking. He alone heard the slight tremble in the voice that to everyone else seemed so strong. He had been praying that night; to whom, he didn't know, but he couldn't stop pleading to some imaginary being that she would make the right choice…the choice he deserved.

But the words she spoke, in that voice that haunted his dreams, were not the words he wanted to hear. And he knew, immediately, what he had to do.

He could picture her so clearly; every little detail was ingrained into his mind, and none of it had faded over the years he had been alone. As he stared up at the ceiling in the darkness, listening to the soft noises of the forest outside, he saw her shining hair, the graceful curve of her neck, the defiant way she lifted her chin as she spoke the words, while at the same time her hands were trembling so badly she had to hide them behind the podium.

And with that killer of an opening scene, his mind let loose and began a private movie just for him; a slideshow of every memory of her.

Heero liked to tell himself that he tried his hardest to go to sleep, to forget about this, about her - but he knew it wasn't true. His hands were clenched into fists and his muscles were tense, but the Perfect Soldier wasn't doing a thing to combat this enemy.

* * *

"Man, what the heck are you doing in early today?"

Heero ignored the black-haired, olive-skinned man that attacked him as soon as he entered the door to the shop. He hung up his stuff and gathered his tools before crossing the room to take a look at what was on schedule for the day.

"You've got to be kidding me. There's no reason to be in so early - you've passed the overtime limit already. C'mon, man, I was still planning on how I was gonna tell you my story about Stacey - "

Heero interrupted, "Stacey?"

"The custom paint chick."

"Ah."

The guy whistled. "Whoo, is she a catch. Great bod. Like, you have no idea. And you know she really loved that paint job, even if she whined about it a bit."

"Hank. Aren't you on shift right now?"

"Yeah, but no one's come in."

"Then sweep."

Having finally shut his mouth, Hank stared dumbly at the broom Heero had thrust into his hand. Without another word, the tall mechanic lifted his toolbox and strode easily into the garage.

"You know," Hank muttered to a worker standing near him, "sometimes I wonder about that guy."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean, Sammy boy, is that he all of a sudden shows up with all this skill, no proof of education, no degree…just skill. How can a guy get that good and have no, you know, credentials?"

Sam shrugged, concentrating on his work. "I like him. Doesn't talk much, but gets the job done, you know?"

"I guess. I just wanna know where he came from, that's all…."

"Just use the broom, Hank."

Making a face at his coworker's back, Sam crossed over into the next garage, where Heero was already gathering the equipment he needed for the first job of the day.

"Morning, Heero."

Heero turned and gave a brief nod to the older mechanic. Sam McKay was somewhere in his mid-fifties, a slow-moving, slow-talking sort of man that loved nothing more than just being up in nature and living with his wife and kids. Heero much preferred his company to that of Hank's, whose conversation topics were limited to the women passing through Willow Lake…since he had pretty much already covered all of the residents. "Good morning," Heero replied calmly, which, coming from him, was a compliment.

"Any special reason for starting so early today?" Sam asked as he tinkered with an old engine in the corner of the garage. Sam worked odd jobs at nearly every location in the town; he had lived there for so many years and the people knew him so well that he could walk into any building and find some work. He didn't have much technical education as a mechanic, but he knew the basics and had a knack for fixing up old equipment to make it brand-new. Over the past few years, the two men had formed a subtle relationship founded on respect for each other's work.

"Not really," Heero replied as he slid underneath a pickup truck. He spoke in his usual monotone, but Sam knew the man well enough to detect just a hint of something else in his voice.

"You sure?"

"Hand me the monkey, will you?"

Sam handed over the wrench and gave Heero's boots a thoughtful glance. Never before had he met a man who would come into work three hours early for no reason - and actually _work_, for that matter. This kid was different. And Sam was curious by nature.

"You got a girlfriend here, Heero?"

The kid didn't even flinch. "No."

"Sister?"

"No."

"Mom?"

"No."

Sam stared as Heero rolled himself out from under the vehicle to rummage around in his toolbox. "Do you like girls?"

He was rewarded with a single expression, and then the kid was underneath the car again.

"Never mind," Sam muttered, and went back to work.

* * *

Heero, thankfully, was finally left alone. Sam's steady wisdom and easy humor made him pleasant enough company, but Heero had always preferred solitude to socialization. It was going to be difficult today. He had been aware of this fact when he awoke at five a.m. sharp and left the cabin for his daily run – had known it from the minute he remembered the date.

November twenty-sixth. Exactly four years since the last time he had seen her, to the day. If he had turned on the television, he knew her face would be on every station, speaking, smiling, _scintillating. _And he couldn't handle that; the day was hard enough as it was.

So he left for work much earlier than usual. Keep his mind off of things.

Right.

He worked steadily for almost five hours, then took a belated lunch break before heading right back into the shop. Moore and Sam looked anxiously after him, recognizing the steady, hard work but a little bewildered by the excess thereof. Heero finished everything on the schedule and then some, and then crossed over to the next garage to help Hank, who was about to clock out for the day and had done little but hit on the girls working next door at the gas station.

It was about six o'clock when the telephone in the office rang. Moore picked it up, spoke quietly, and seven seconds later was bellowing for Heero again.

"Yuy!"

He came, wiping greasy hands on a rag, silent and dark-eyed and, somehow, more serious than usual.

"Yuy, we got a problem in the back. Some lady broke down out on the highway. Steven towed her in but I want you to take a look at it."

"Car?"

"Carrera, last year's model. Think there's a bit of engine problem, from what she described to me. I don't know how long it'll take…you think you could help her find a place to stay the night?"

He didn't respond. Moore didn't expect him to; asking about the vehicle details was about as far as Heero would go with employee-customer relations. Sighing, Moore added, "Why don't you let Sam handle that, then."

The older man was called in, and, grinning, followed Heero into the back garage, where the new customers and their cars awaited service.

While Sam went to meet the woman and do a preliminary check of the car, Heero went to gather the tools he'd need. As he worked, he could just hear the low, cheerful rumble of Sam's voice, and softer, feminine tones in conversation.

Picking up his toolbox, Heero gave an inner sigh and turned to head to the car, cursing Moore and thinking that Hank should've taken this one, after all. He was the one always good with the chicks…not that Heero had ever had any desire to…well, not since -

Shaking his head, he tried to wrestle her image from his mind. Gripping the toolbox, he came around the corner and looked up, ready to interrupt the conversation with a few introductory questions before he could get to work and Sam could help the girl find dinner and a hotel.

Sam was standing in front of the woman as he was telling her the story of his own recent breakdown on the rough mountain roads. Heero stopped a little behind them to look at the car - a nice model, expensive features, sturdy engine by the looks of it. And then all of a sudden, as Sam delivered his punchline, the woman burst into laughter -

- and, at that sound from his dreams, Heero went rigid.

Sam's voice, barely penetrating the thick fog that suddenly clouded his mind, said, "Yeah, it was pretty bad. But here, let me introduce you to the guy who'll fix up your car - come here, Heero, don't be afraid of a little - "

There was a crash, and a splatter of coffee over the garage floor. The woman had dropped her Starbucks cup.

Heero turned around, inch by agonizing inch, until he was facing the image he had avoided like poison for four years.

Relena Peacecraft stood in front of him, her face devoid of any color, absolutely and totally speechless.

* * *

Unbelievable.

Absolutely unbelievable.

There was no way. She was dreaming. She was so messed up, so stressed, so exhausted, so out of her mind that she was imagining the man standing in front of her.

Very slowly, her eyes traveled to his boots, and then slowly back up again. The scuffed shoes, the jeans dirty with grease stains and slightly torn at the knees, the black cotton t-shirt just tight enough to accentuate the hard muscles on his abdomen and thick arms…and then to his face.

It was a face she hadn't seen in four years. A face that for all of her adult life had graced her dreams, saved her in her nightmares, been the cause of misery and sorrow, joy and happiness, protection and comfort. A face she had cried herself to sleep over - and had never realized how badly she wanted to see again.

He was tanner, taller…the hair was thicker and a slightly lighter brown, but just as disheveled as it had always been…and those eyes. Oh, his eyes. The stormy Prussian blue bore into her just as fiercely and intensely as it always had, dragging her through a painful whirlwind of memories and sending her into thick and painful torrent of emotions.

"Uh…"

The other man, who had introduced himself as Sam, was staring at them.

"Hey, Heero, I think it might be the belt…"

And suddenly, as if nothing had happened, as if they weren't standing face to face for the first time in four years, Heero turned and went to the car.

"Sorry 'bout that, miss," Sam said quietly to her. "Don't know what came over him…he's a little odd, but a good worker."

Sam said the words kindly, teasingly, and she could tell he had a genuine respect for Heero. She couldn't tear her eyes from the dark-haired man lifting the hood of her car, bending to inspect the inside. "It's - it's all right."

"Can I possibly get your name, ma'am, I'll just need to fill out these papers for ya- "

Heero stopped, glanced up at her for just a brief second. As their eyes met once again, lightning shook her to the bottom of her feet.

"Elizabeth," she murmured quietly. "Elizabeth Sanderson."

"Nice to have you here, Elizabeth," Sam grinned at her. "Hope you enjoy your stay up in the mountains."

She didn't hear him, didn't notice as he left the room to total up her cost at the register. Suddenly, she was left alone…with him.


	2. No Uncertain Circumstances

-**Chapter 2**-

"_The greatest difficulties lie where we are not looking for them."  
__- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe_

Sam was right; it was the belt.

Maybe.

Or…maybe just an oil problem…

Or was it the transmission?

Hell, he couldn't think. The mental checklist that was usually in perfect working order was scrambled with her close to him, so very _near_. Finally, after rummaging around doing nothing for nearly three minutes, he stared down at the familiar face of the car's inner workings and said quietly, "Elizabeth?"

She didn't move. "Yes."

"Why the alias?"

"Privacy."

He dared to lift his eyes to hers. She was standing with her arms protectively crossed, brilliant golden hair swept back in a messy ponytail, dressed in slim dark jeans and a light blue sweater that brought out the sweet sapphire in her eyes. She looked thinner than he remembered, somehow…frailer?…but no, that wasn't right. She stood as tall as she always had. It was her, right here in what he had come to know as _his_ garage, _his_ town.

"Do they believe you?" he murmured.

Her eyes flashed towards the doorway. "Apparently. I figured the farther away I went from civilization, the lesser-known my face would be."

Heero had to agree with her there; Willow Lake, with its naïve charms and simple way of life, had little interest in politics and who was leading the world for the minute. Though they all would certainly recognize her name and title, Heero doubted that any of them knew exactly what Relena looked like. "What are you doing here?"

The question was blunt, and her eyes widened just slightly at his forwardness. But then he saw her expression change. They had had a relationship in the past, after all, and a fairly close one at that - there are few people closer to you than your bodyguard. She could tell him…some of it.

"Escape," Relena replied. "I needed a break."

Her eyes didn't meet his when she told him this, but he knew it was at least partly the truth. Taking a breath to stabilize his emotions, he closed the hood and crossed the room to pick up the mop.

"What's wrong with it?" she asked quietly.

"Not sure. Whatever it is, it's not obvious; I'll have to do a complete run-through later." He mopped up the remnants of her coffee, put the mop back, and then leaned against the wall. His arms were folded as he silently looked at her with those eyes.

Watching him, Relena felt a twinge of the old hurt. This calm, appraising gaze was trademark Heero, and, just like in the past, she could only handle the pressure of that gaze for so long.

She lowered her eyes and murmured "I'll have to stay, won't I." It wasn't a question.

"Unless you plan on walking back to the city."

"Is it trashed?"

"No, just…it'll be in here for a while. The winter's always busy, so it'll take more time to fix." He paused, looking at the ground. "You can't get a ride into - "

"No."

He looked up. She had spat the word out quickly; too quickly. She didn't want to go back to the city, for a very certain reason – one that she was refusing to share.

"Do they know you're gone?"

"By now, I'm sure they do."

There it was: no permission. A self-declared vacation…something Heero had never imagined Relena would do. Well…at least not in the time _he _had been her bodyguard…maybe things were different now.

"Where were you - " Heero began, but he was interrupted by Sam's entrance.

"Okay, our schedule is pretty backed up today," he said, handing her a clipboard. "From our first check, this is what went wrong. Your car isn't really made for the rough roads up here, and it just took one too many hits. Heero will have it working as soon as possible, but is there somewhere you need to be?"

Relena replied, "No," and graced him with a smile. And even though it wasn't directed at him, Heero felt an all-too- familiar tugging at his heart.

Sam paused, looking at Heero, whose gaze was fixed on Relena. "Do you…have you…?"

"We've met," Heero said shortly.

"That's perfect!" Sam beamed. He clapped Heero on the shoulder and said to Relena, "Well, Miss Sanderson, Heero can help you find the hotel I was telling you about earlier, and I'm sure he doesn't mind getting you dinner either. Sun should be going down pretty soon, now, and we wouldn't want you lost out there on the streets."

_Yeah, _Heero thought dryly_, the streets of Willow Lake, where the most dangerous thing out there is the odd yellow fire hydrant._

As Relena talked to Moore in the office and signed the necessary papers, Sam helped Heero bring her car into the main garage.

"Jeez, Heero," Sam whistled through his teeth. "Can't believe you never mentioned this one. She looks like the kind of gal Hank would - "

"Hank will not be informed that she was here," Heero snapped, getting out of the Carrera as fast as he could. Just driving her car was enough to make him feel drunk; it smelled, looked, _felt_ like her.

Sam was grinning. "Okay, understood. She's all yours, bud."

"She's not - I didn't mean - we're not - " Heero stopped. The grin had spread, and it was useless to attempt to continue. "It's nothing like that."

Sam ignored his protests. "Just get her something to eat, set her up at the hotel, then make sure she finds someway to entertain herself for the next couple of days while you work your butt off getting this car fixed."

"Right now?"

"Right now."

"But I'm not off shift until - "

"Nice try," Sam shook his head of graying hair as he chuckled and closed the door of the garage. "Coming in three hours earlier and working through the day without a lunch break easily justifies getting off thirty minutes before closing time."

"I don't know where - "

"If you even so much as try to tell me you don't know where to take her, I'll slap you silly. She's a nice young lady stuck by herself up in a strange town, and obviously you two were friends…or whatever…"

The Death Glare was put into immediate use. Sam was unfazed.

"…so it's the nice thing to do. Diner, then hotel. We've only got one in town. Hour at the most."

He was stuck, and he knew it. There was no way to explain just _why_ he was so reluctant to be so near Relena without spilling their life story. And so, with thudding heart, Heero walked reluctantly around to the main office.

She was speaking amiably with Moore, who was obviously quite taken with her. They were discussing the weather, how pitiful it was that the snow had yet to fall this winter. And for the first time in his life, Heero felt a sickening feeling stirring in his stomach and knew immediately what it was: jealousy. He was _jealous_, of _Moore, _for talking to woman he hadn't seen in four years.

Hmm. Slight problem.

"You ready to go?" he cut in.

She fell silent and nodded.

Moore watched this exchange with a careful eye. "Thanks for coming in early, Yuy, and making up for Hank's work."

Heero said nothing, his face expressionless.

"I'll see you later, Miss Sanderson. Send us your hotel number so we can call you when your car is fixed."

She smiled and gave a quick reply, and then they were out in the chilly winter air, alone.

Heero wasted no time; he pulled the keys from his pocket and headed straight for the parking lot. Relena, reluctantly, followed.

* * *

_For heaven's sake_. Even his truck was the very essence of him.

For the first time, this wasn't a sleek black limousine, where she wasn't in a shimmering satin gown and he wasn't in a dashing, debonair tuxedo that he absolutely loathed. She wouldn't look forward to _after_ the entire gala, when she could relax in the same limousine in the way home and just enjoy being close to him, being able to talk out the social and political intricacies of the night, having someone just listen to her, no matter how little he responded.

No, this was _his_ truck. And it spoke of nothing but him. It was just as organized as his Preventers office had once been, with enough macho-engine-horsepower jargon scribbled all over the equipment that it was obvious he had put a lot of time - not to mention money - into the vehicle. But what capped it all off for her was the clean, foresty smell permeating the air inside the cab; a smell she identified immediately as _Heero_.

He opened the door for her, something that he did completely out of old, old habit, and then he started it up and pulled out of the parking lot.

"You hungry?"

Almost by instinct she opened her mouth to say no; it was always the answer she gave to that particular question, because she never had time for a dinner date, and besides, if _he_ knew about it, he'd be…

_No!_ She shook her head fiercely, forcing all thoughts of _him_ from her mind. _Don't think about it…that's the reason you left, remember, just don't think about it…_

"No?" Heero asked, misinterpreting her actions.

"I'm starving." And it felt good to say it.

"Well…there's a McDonald's around the corner - " he glanced at her; the expression on her face said enough " - or there's always the diner."

"Diner," she said, without hesitation.

Relena stared out the window at the passing town, her mind reeling at how surreal this was; she was driving with the man that had disappeared four years ago, a man whose face she knew better than her own. It made her wonder what would happen after today; after they had eaten, after she was safe in her hotel room, after she got in her car and driven back down to the city, back to…

And when she remembered what was waiting for her back in the city, Relena decided to halt that train of thought entirely and just concentrate on _now_.

The diner was the very picture of a small restaurant in a sleepy little mountain town – a bar where white-aproned waitresses served nothing stronger than black coffee and kids regularly came in to perch atop of barstools and enjoy their strawberry milkshakes. Heero led her inside and straight to a table for two in the back.

They ordered, and ate in silence, neither one knowing what to say to the other. Relena wanted to bring up the reason for his disappearance, but since she knew he was wondering the reason as to _her_ running away, she decided to just keep quiet.

Afterwards, Heero drove down the street to the only hotel in Willow Lake. Without speaking, they walked into the main room, and from there, Relena took charge.

"Good evening," she greeted the woman behind the desk. She was a bleached blond with thick curls and a tight-fitting uniform, smacking a gigantic wad of bright pink bubblegum and eyeing Heero up and down like he was a piece of candy.

"Evenin'," the lady returned, blowing a thick bubble.

"I'd like a room for the next few days, please," Relena continued, trying to ignore the way the woman's hazel eyes were roaming over Heero's body. Heero hadn't even noticed; he was looking around the lobby, probably searching for easy entrances/exits for assassins. Old habits die hard.

"I'm not sure exactly how long I'll be staying - "

"We're filled up."

Relena stopped mid-sentence, startled. "I'm sorry, what?"

"We're full up, honey," the woman said, accentuating each word with a pop of her bubblegum. "No room."

Heero turned for the first time. "What do you mean, no room?"

The receptionist mistook his low, serious tones for 'sultry and seductive.' "Why, that means there ain't any beds open, Mr. Yuy," she explained to him, ignoring Relena and leaning in at just the right angle to show off some cleavage. "'Cept maybe just one, that is," she cooed, the innuendo clear.

Heero didn't move, just intensified the glare. Relena cut in dryly, "Sorry, that's not really what I'm looking for. You're sure there aren't any rooms open?"

Since Heero had pulled away, the blond cast a disgusted look in Relena's direction and snapped, "I said no. Now go walk the streets if you're so desperate, you little slut."

Relena reeled back, startled. "Excuse me!" she cried. "That was completely - "

But Heero took two steps forward, gripped the woman around the arm, and leaned in until he was just inches from her face. "If you," he growled, "ever say anything like that to her again, Brittany, I will make sure your boss knows every detail of what takes place here with his paying customers."

The woman's face went pale under the layers of makeup. "Just get out of here," she snapped, and stalked through a door labeled "Employees Only."

Heero didn't give her the honor of a response. He turned and walked outside, taking Relena by the wrist.

Immediately, Relena did something strange: as soon as his hand gripped her wrist, she flinched and yanked it away.

Heero, startled, paused in his stride only momentarily, then decided not to say anything about it. "Sorry," he muttered, "about her. Brittany's a long-time…"

"Fan?" Relena murmured. Her gaze was downcast, and though he didn't notice, her hands were shaking.

"Hn."

She took a long breath, and then murmured, "Well, you said that was the only hotel in town…"

"Shit," Heero groaned. "I…forgot. I should have convinced her to give you a room - "

"It's okay," Relena interrupted, looking up and down the street. "I can just…well…"

He turned to look at her as she struggled for a way to finish her offer. After she racked her brains for a near thirty seconds, Heero ventured in his usual monotone, "You can stay with me."

Relena's reaction was instantaneous: "No."

Though he would never admit it, Heero was a little put out at being declined so quickly. "Well," he barked, "I'm sure as hell not letting you stay in that dump now, so exactly where else are you thinking about going?"

She was furiously trying to come up with any option besides his proposition. "I…I'll…sleep in my car."

"That's absurd," Heero instantly returned. "It's freezing, it's uncomfortable, and besides, the shop is closed and that means we can't get your keys."

"_You_ have the keys to the garage," she retorted.

"Relena," he growled sternly, "you're _not_ sleeping in your car. Look, I'm not saying you spend the week with me, I'm just saying you can stay at my cabin tonight and then we'll drive down here tomorrow and get you a room."

He couldn't believe what he was saying. But where else was he going to put her? He would never leave her in the hotel as long as that witch was behind the reception desk, and he couldn't just drop her on the side of the street…and as much as the thought of having Relena's sleeping body somewhere in his house filled him with so many conflicting emotions he thought he would burst – she was still the Foreign Minister, and he would always, whether officially or not, be her protector.

And she knew it.

"Okay. Just – just tonight."

And though he knew it was the right course of action, Heero involuntarily grit his teeth. This would not be easy.

* * *

The drive up to the cabin was conducted in complete and terribly uncomfortable silence. Relena could do nothing but clutch her bag and plead to heaven that this would not turn out to be a nightmare. She was nervous. Which was strange, because four years ago Heero was the only person that was with her nearly twenty-four hours a day. They had slept in rooms right next to each other before; he had stood outside her door while she slept…surely this was no different.

Yet it was, and she knew it.

His cabin was gorgeous. As Heero silently steered into a clearing hidden by the tall pine trees, her jaw dropped. "Oh…wow," she breathed, staring up at the two-story mountain mansion sprawled in front of her. There was grass outside, an extensive lawn of verdant green that led right up to the wraparound porch. Following Heero, Relena climbed the steps and gaped at the exquisite carpentry work. "You…did all this?"

Heero glanced up as he unlocked the door. The sun had already set, and the soft porch light was on, bringing out the lighter nuances in the wood…and in her hair. "I added the porch, an extension to the kitchen, and tore down a few walls in the loft above the second floor…but the rest was just cleaning up."

It was cold, and unconsciously she had moved a little closer to him for warmth; far enough away for her, apparently, to not think anything of it, but close enough for him to smell her perfume and therefore intoxicate him far worse than any drink ever could. Unable to stand it, Heero shoved open the door and went inside.

He moved to the closet near the front door, shrugging out of his coat and setting his keys and toolbox into place. Relena took two steps in, closed the door, turned and froze.

"Oh my gosh," she whispered, and, fearing that something was wrong, Heero whirled around.

She was staring at the first floor of his cabin, which was entirely open and consisted of the living room, dining room, kitchen, and study. It was a single spacious rectangle, with the kitchen off in a little alcove to her right. Heero looked around, saw nothing out of place, and looked back at her for explanation.

"Oh, Heero," she murmured, taking a few hesitant steps forward. "This is gorgeous. I just can't…"

The rest of her words were tuned out; he was still reeling from the part where she had said his name. The magic of his name on her lips was something that banished all comprehensive thought from his mind and left him standing in a confusing blur of emotions.

"…any help?"

He realized vaguely that she was asking him a question, and turned. "What?"

"Did you do this all yourself?" she repeated, her eyes wide with wonder.

"Yeah," he said shortly, moving into the kitchen. She stayed in the living room area, taking in the sight; the leather couches, the entertainment center, the paintings on the walls, the little knickknacks on tables and in corners that just reminded her of him.

"I'm surprised," she murmured, running her fingers lightly over a dark mahogany desk.

Conversation wasn't exactly what he wanted to get himself into at the minute, but he found himself a little offended by her comment. "Why?"

"Well…" Relena murmured, still staring in wonder at the exquisitely, if simply, decorated cabin. "I'm not really sure…" But she was; she knew exactly why Heero's home had taken her by surprise. She had been expecting something empty, devoid of anything except the barest essentials, and for a while had even entertained images of chrome-and-silver bedrooms, with everything computerized…like something out of a Bradbury tale. But this…true, it was a little too masculine for her taste, too dark and leathery, but…despite just a few details, it was exactly how she would decorate a cabin.

Heero was still waiting for an answer, his stormy eyes boring into her back.

"I just expected something different," she murmured.

Enough was enough. Just the image of her standing in his front room shook something deep inside. "The guest room is upstairs," he said shortly, heading for the staircase.

Silently, she followed, noting every detail of the cabin; the paintings on the wall, the woodsy smell that reminded her so much of Heero, the soft gentle whisper of the wind outside. He led her up the stairs and to the left, into a tidy little room with a bed, dresser, desk, and door to its own bathroom. It blew her mind that Heero Yuy, of all people, would have a room prepared in the case of a friend barging in one evening…

He must have read her mind. "Duo knows I'm up here," he muttered in explanation. "Visited once or twice, but not since Hilde had the baby."

_One night_, Relena told herself, taking a breath as she put her bags on the bed and slipped out of her jacket. _One night, and then I can stay in the hotel until the car is fixed…and then head back_…

Relena turned to thank Heero, but he had left her room. She heard a door close somewhere on the opposite side of the cabin and knew that he had retired to his own room for the night.

Sighing, Relena closed her own door, thought about locking it, then decided against it. Heero probably wouldn't even come out of his room…and besides, if someone broke in, she didn't doubt that he would disarm them in five seconds flat.

Recalling the days long ago when the only security he was paranoid about was her own, Relena couldn't suppress a small smile. Then, remembering how drastically things had changed, the smile fell, and she slowly undressed and climbed into bed.

It was surprisingly soft and warm; it was freezing outside, and snuggling down inside the covers was the only thing she needed to do to be just the right temperature. Staring out the window at the silhouette of the nearby pine trees, Relena's last thought before she felt asleep was how surprised she was to find that she loved it up here in the mountains…and how she feared what would happen when she returned.

* * *

She was there.

Not even a hundred yards away. Just _down the hall_. So close that if he stood outside her door, he could _hear her breathe_.

Heero lay awake in bed for nearly an hour, his mind still trying to grasp that impossible concept. The hours that were usually occupied by memories of her were now replaced with an incredible uneasiness. What was he supposed to _do_? He had left her, for heaven's sake. True, only after he had ensured that her security would be top-notch, after personally "taking care" of each and every possible terrorist in the country, and after nearly beating Duo to a pulp in making him promise to keep a special eye on her.

But it didn't change the fact that he _had left_; left his career, his duty, his personal obligations, his friends…and her.

Was she angry with him? Had she even cared that one day he simply wasn't around anymore? Or had she just kept on living, hired another bodyguard, gone to meetings the next day with the same bright smile?

What was he thinking; of course she had. It wasn't as if he had any effect on her. She had simply been the one to protect, and he had been the protector. There was no relationship there. That was exactly why there shouldn't be a problem with sleeping in the same house.

So…why couldn't he fall asleep?

Another two and a half hours passed. The clock chimed one thirty; an owl called outside his window, and though he was exhausted, Heero simply could not get to sleep.

The alarm clock was set for five a.m. sharp. And he had to get to work, so he _had_ to get sleep…

There was only one option. Moving noiselessly, he crept out of the room and gingerly crossed the hallway to her bedroom door.

Once there, all he did was crack the door open. There was no need to see her, no need to touch her; all he had to do was reassure himself that this was not a dream, that this woman was in his house, protected by walls he had rebuilt with his own hands.

So the Perfect Soldier sat down in the hall outside her bedroom, leaned his head against the doorframe, and closed his eyes.

And as the soft, peaceful sound of her regular breathing reached his ears, Heero felt his pulse slow, his racing thoughts ease, and within moments he was fast asleep.


	3. When It Takes You By Surprise

-**Chapter 3**-

"_We may run, walk, stumble, drive, or fly, but let us never lose sight of the reason for the journey, or miss a chance to see a rainbow on the way."  
__- Gloria Gaither_

Back home, Relena was used to waking up with blaring alarm clocks, irritated bodyguards banging on her door, Pagan's concerned voice coaxing her out of bed…but here, it was very different.

The first thing that brought her to her senses was the pale morning light filtering softly into her room, sending tiny dust motes spiraling through the air. She took a long breath, a small smile on her face - until she remembered where she was. As the realization of where she was came rushing into her mind, she sat up straight and nearly panicked.

_For heaven's sake_, her mind screamed, _I'm in Heero Yuy's _house. Praying that he had already left for work, Relena climbed out of bed, trying to make as little noise as possible.

She didn't even make it three steps down the stairs before he came in the back door, entering with a blast of freezing morning air and a huge armful of logs. She watched as he quickly made his way around the leather couches in the living room, threw the logs into the fireplace, and then hurried outside again.

And Relena realized that the great Perfect Soldier was cold; so cold, in fact, that he was racing to get his chores done so he could sit safely inside his house and…warm up.

That was oddly comforting. _He's human after all. _Telling herself that maybe this actually might not be so bad, she proceeded to the kitchen to make some breakfast.

Heero came blasting back in twice more before he realized that she was sitting calmly at his kitchen counter, perched on a stool as she spooned cereal into her mouth. He paused, only because the sight of her made his breath catch in his throat; just sitting in thin flannel pajamas and a soft-looking white robe, her hair framing a face still flushed from sleep…and then he was gone, out the door again to get more wood for the fire.

Relena finished her cereal and decided to be helpful. She arranged a few logs in the fireplace and started a blazing flame that warmed her chilled body immediately.

The next time Heero came blasting through the door, he stopped in the middle of the living room. She had moved, disorienting him completely since he had already figured out the best route to take to avoid the kitchen. Her gaze was on the fire, and for a moment Heero just stood there; the firelight was reflecting in her eyes, mesmerizing and entrancing enough to make his body still.

"What time do you have to go in to work?"

Her voice interrupted the vision, and he quickly turned to appear busy. "Noon."

"I heard one of the guys in there say that you always come in early."

"Hn."

"Are you going in early today?"

"Checkout at the hotel isn't till one o'clock, so you wouldn't get a room till five."

"Oh." Relena felt her heart sink; he really wanted her out as fast as possible. It was sad…the thought of a lonely hotel room was strangely disappointing.

"You can stay up here if you want, or you can go back into town." His voice was indifferent.

Her heart dropped farther. As much as she enjoyed sitting up in the middle of the forest, a half a day with only a silent ex-bodyguard for company was a foreboding thought. "If you don't mind," she said, "I'd like to go take a look around the town."

Heero stood unmoving for a moment, debating in his head what this would entail. She would either want him to give her a tour of the town, or just drop her off somewhere and leave her alone. Knowing it would be the latter, he said coolly, "Fine."

* * *

Relena ended up spending most of the morning and early afternoon walking up and down the lazy Main Street. It was cold outside, so it was nice to duck inside the little shops and warm up for a while before having to survive the frigid sidewalk again. But she was enjoying herself. Willow Lake was a place where you would find tiny corner shops filled with antiques, or old-fashioned red-and-white barber poles. The people greeted her as she passed, recognizing her as a stranger, and a few curious women stopped to welcome her to the town. There were always the same answers, to every question. Where was she from? _Boston_. What brought her to Willow Lake? _Car broke down._ What did she do for a job? _Secretary at a law office_.

The only question with which she had some trouble was "how long are you staying?" To that, she _had_ no answer.

At about one o'clock she had a sandwich and coffee at a tiny deli. She was enjoying the meal, enjoying the _peace_, when someone suddenly barged into the restaurant, sending cold air blasting into every corner.

She turned, and recognized Heero immediately. He was wrapped in a thick winter coat, his hair disheveled as always, jeans covered in stains and a smudge of grease on his cheek, but he looked absolutely furious…which sort of detracted from the whole hunk-in-uniform image.

He stormed over to her table, glared daggers at everyone in the general vicinity, and hissed, "You are not staying in that hotel."

She swallowed the last bite of sandwich. "Why not?"

"Because," he snapped, "I say so."

If a certain someone else had been glaring at her like this she would have gone wherever he wanted. But it was Heero, and slowly, Relena sensed a courage she hadn't felt in a long time come creeping back into her heart. "And why should that matter?"

He tried to intensify the glare, but it didn't work. The Death-Glare mechanism was already up full-throttle, and he was too exhausted from being near her anyway to squeeze out any additional menace.

"I take it you paid the hotel a visit."

He leaned forward, hissing, "There is no way in hell I'm going to let you stay there. I don't care how long it takes to fix that car of yours, you are _not_, do you hear me, _not_ staying there."

For a moment there, he sounded like the old Heero, the one that was afraid to let her into the woman's bathroom alone lest some assassin come blasting out of the toilet.

"What's so bad about it?" she asked. "Is there a room free?"

"There was," he said shortly, "until Blondie at the front made some remarks."

"Remarks?"

His eyes narrowed, and it took him a moment to answer. "…Yes. About you."

Relena felt a small flurry of something flutter through her stomach. Was he…defending her?

"Really," she murmured nonchalantly.

"_Yes_," he shot back, "and I refuse to let you stay there."

"What are you going to do, bar the door?"

"If needs be."

"You may be the Perfect Soldier, but I do think the entire hotel security force could overtake you," she said lightly.

Without warning, he slammed his fist into the table.

"_Stop_ it."

The fury in his voice was so intense that she closed her mouth and stared.

"Don't do this to me," he hissed, low and fast. "You show up here, out of the blue, making me all of a sudden paranoid about your safety again, and then all you do is give me that independence speech. Would you just _trust_ me, for once?"

It was enough to turn her humble. She had never heard him speak that earnestly before. "Where do you suggest I _go_?" Relena asked, more than a little hurt by his outburst. "I didn't _choose_ to be stuck here, Heero, and you can't tell me not to sleep in the hotel when my only other option is a cardboard box behind the grocery store."

Without a pause, he said gruffly, "You'll stay at my house."

Relena dropped her straightforward gaze immediately. "For…how long?" Her voice was suddenly a lot quieter. The prospect of _living _with Heero was daunting at the very least.

"Until I can get your car finished," he muttered. "I'm sorry it's such a disagreeable solution."

She paused, unsure of what to say, before finally quipping, "Better than a cardboard box."

They sat in silence for a moment, until Relena said quietly, "I should go get the rest of my stuff from my car."

He nodded, and they stood simultaneously. Relena made her way around him to the door, stopping to ask, "You're sure you don't mind?"

To her surprise, Heero looked down so that he met her gaze - their faces just inches away - and murmured softly, "I don't want you in a cardboard box."

* * *

Relena spent the rest of the day alone in the cabin while Heero did some grocery shopping. After cleaning up a little, she retreated downstairs to peruse his bookshelves. Once she discovered the only fiction book on the shelf, she found a blanket and curled up by the fire.

She didn't get much reading done, however; she was too busy thinking about Heero.

To be honest with herself, Relena had to admit that she had known that, when she made the decision to withhold the pilots' identities, he would do something about it. She just never imagined that he would leave altogether. She didn't understand why he had done it, didn't understand what exactly made him leave…but he had, and for a long time it had shattered her. Until…

_No_. _No, don't think about it._

She wanted to know why. Why he didn't think he could stay. Was it her? Could he just not handle another second working for her? Working for…a woman that was in love with him?

No, he couldn't know that. He couldn't. He was the one always so professional, so focused. The only attention he paid her was his duty.

So…why was he so protective of her now, when he had been free for four years?

* * *

Heero returned home after sunset that night; he brought the groceries into the kitchen, not realizing that he was moving a lot more quietly than usual. He tried to pretend that the angel sleeping on a leather armchair near the fire wasn't there, that he could just go about his normal business without interruption.

But, even without thinking about it, he made enough food for two people, instead of one.

Midway through dinner, Heero gave up trying to distract himself with cooking and leaned his forehead against a cupboard.

He was so tired. Tired of acting like everything was normal, tired of faking, tired of using up every possible defense mechanism he had in his possession to keep his emotions at bay.

There was a rustling from the living room, and quiet footsteps. Startled, Heero looked up quickly, and met her sleepy blue eyes. The blanket was around her shoulders, her cheeks a little flushed from the warmth of the cabin, her hair tousled and tumbling messily down her back. He immediately forgot what he had just been thinking and found himself spellbound, again, by the pure fact that Relena was standing here in his house.

"I…fell asleep," she realized, sounding embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I was trying to - I was going to unpack and - "

"It's fine," he interrupted. "Dinner."

Her mouth closed abruptly, and after a moment, she sat down to eat.

They sat in complete quiet for what felt like an eternity, until Relena suddenly put down her fork and murmured, "I can't do this anymore."

Heero didn't look up, but he sensed the oncoming storm and braced himself. "Do what?"

"This," she murmured, very still. "Sit here and pretend."

There was no response.

"I'm sorry about all this, Heero - if I had had any idea that I'd end up here, I would've driven in the completely opposite direction. I'm sorry I'm intruding, and I know you can't wait until I'm gone, but - but I can't sit here and act like everything's been fine for the past four years."

Silence.

"Heero," she pleaded, her voice a whisper, "say something."

He was looking at his plate, but not seeing the food upon it.

"What is there to say?"

Relena didn't finish the meal, but after a moment of thick, heavy silence, took her plate to the sink and then went upstairs.

Two hours later, when he was finally heading to bed himself, his feet carried his reluctant body to her room. He stepped inside, just enough to glimpse her face…and he tried to pretend that he didn't see the tearstains on her cheeks.

* * *

Sometime in the black of the night, in the middle of a strange dream where he was trapped in the old Peacecraft mansion, Heero's sleep was interrupted by a bloodcurdling scream.

He was awake immediately. Had he imagined it? Was it part of the dream? Had she -

But it came again - a half-shriek, half-sob, a terrified scream racked with tears - and Heero was gone. A crash, the pounding of footsteps, and three seconds later, he had burst into her room.

She came fully awake at the noise of his entrance, and as he saw her sapphire eyes open, terror evident in her features, Heero forgot all notions of keeping-his-distance, and propriety, and moved directly towards the one thing that could bring him down.

He sat on the bed, feeling it shake with the sobs that were coursing through her body, and as he sat he stretched out a hand to pull her towards him -

- but she flinched violently away from his touch, reeling back so fast that she nearly fell off the bed.

"Relena - " he hissed, his heart pounding at the distress in her features, and caught her up in his arms. She struggled for a brief second, and then, gradually, relaxed. His thin cotton shirt was quickly soaked with her tears, and he found himself slowly moving the palm of his hand against the small of her back in a feeble attempt to calm her trembling body.

"Relena," he said, and was startled to hear his own voice quavering. "Relena, what is it - what's wrong?"

But she didn't reply, just shook her head fiercely against his shoulder, clinging to him as if he was the last solid thing on Earth. The tears had subsided, but her entire body was shaking violently, as if she had just witnessed hell itself. Her fingers were tangled into his shirt in a death grip, her face buried deep in the crook between his neck and shoulder, and her breathing tremulous and fast.

Heero had never seen her like this. The frantic ferocity with which she clung to him was so foreign to the Relena he knew that his heart shuddered in his chest:

She was scaring him.

"Re - Relena, what - "

"Please, please - " she cried. Her breath was ragged, as if she was being chased by demons and had no means of escape. "Please, please don't…" Her voice faded into tears again.

"Damn it, Relena," he whispered hoarsely, feeling his own body tremble from hers. "What is it?"

She didn't reply/

He couldn't take it any more. Hearing her like that, feeling the body he had lived only to protect tremble uncontrollably…it was too much for him. Feeling that somehow, this would be his downfall, Heero slid his arm underneath her legs and lifted her.

He carried her out of the dark, tear-stained room, and down the stairs. He managed to flip on the light switch and bathe the room in a dim, golden glow, and then moved to the leather couch and sat down.

Relena's shivering had calmed slightly as soon as the lights had come on, and her grip was more relaxed. They sat for a moment, entangled together on the couch, and as the time slowly passed, Heero began to think less of what was wrong with her and more of what it felt like to hold her in his arms.

And as his mind gradually became more and more aware of her body so close to his, an inner warning light flickered to life. Reluctantly, he slowly began to pull away.

As soon as she felt him move away from her, Relena shook her head and held tighter. "Please don't leave me," she whispered, almost too quiet for him to hear. "Please…just hold me for a minute."

But he couldn't - his traitorous mind was racing away, far from where it should be in the here and now, caring about what was wrong with her. He was thinking about things he _should not_ be thinking about, things that would only lead to -

He pulled back just a little - enough to look at her face on his shoulder. Her eyes were closed tightly, a lock of wavy blond hair falling over her forehead. Involuntarily, he lifted a hand to brush it away.

As soon as she sensed his hand near her face, Relena shot away from him faster than he could imagine. One minute she was tightly in his arms, and then the next she was on the opposite side of the couch, holding her knees to her chest and fiercely wiping away the tear tracks on her cheeks.

Heero was left feeling very empty, alone, and bewildered. "What…" he whispered. "Relena…?"

She offered nothing as a response.

He sat for a moment, more hurt than he would ever admit, and then slowly stood up and headed for the kitchen.

As soon as he was out of her sight, he allowed his hands to tighten into fists. What the hell was wrong with her? Where had this all come from - what had made her wake up screaming, sobbing in the dead of the night, when in the past the only reactions her dreams had caused were laughs? She had never suffered from nightmares in all the years he had known her, and this came from countless nights of watching her sleep.

And _never_, in his existence, had she ever flinched away so violently from his touch.

Something was very, very wrong. Something had happened, in the time he had been absent, that had either scared her beyond repair, or hurt her, or…Heero's hand tightened on the glass he was filling with water. Fury was welling in his heart for whoever had done this to her - and then he realized: whatever happened, he had caused it by leaving her in the first place.

When he returned to the living room with the glass in hand, Relena had stretched out on the couch. She accepted the water with a murmur of thanks and sat up to drink while Heero lit a fire. When he was finished, he stood staring at the flames a moment, realizing with a vague sense of foreboding that he was desperately missing the feeling of having her in his arms.

"Heero."

Her voice was soft, ashamed, timid. Even as he told himself not to pay attention, to keep the mask in place, his head turned to look at her.

The firelight was glowing softly on her skin. She sat still now, watching him with those lovely sapphire eyes, and as he met her gaze she murmured quietly, "I'm so sorry."

He didn't move. "For what?"

"Waking you up."

Heero lifted a hand to cut her off, but she continued quickly.

"Making you come into the room. Holding - " she blushed a little here " - holding onto you. Scaring you."

"I wasn't scared," his mouth moved automatically, eyes locked into hers.

"And just," she continued, ignoring his interruption, "…coming up here."

Seeing the regret in her eyes, Heero took a step in her direction. "Don't be sorry," he said. "It's not your fault…and it's no trouble."

She replied in a very soft voice, "It must be, since you left to get rid of me in the first place."

_Oh, God._

Was that really what she thought?

"Relena - " he said, not knowing what to say. "I didn't - I didn't leave to 'get rid' of you - "

"Then why?"

Her voice was still infinitely soft, but he could sense the need to know in the pleading way she looked at him. The blue eyes were rimmed red with tears, and as she hugged her knees protectively to her chest, Relena looked terribly alone and scared…and it was unbearable to see her like that. She was…the strongest person he knew, and tonight she looked like a terrified, haunted little girl.

At that moment, there was only one thing in the world that mattered to him, and that was bringing the light back into her eyes.

"I left," he murmured quietly, "because…"

The problem was, he couldn't tell her the _real_ reason he had escaped to the mountains four years ago. So…he settled for second-best.

"Because I knew that after you made the decision, anyone - anyone that worked close to you would be inspected more closely than ever before…and when they found out…what I was…."

"You think everything would've been for nothing," she finished for him, her voice still a little scratchy from the tears. She looked so alone sitting on that couch that Heero's feet ignored his mind's warnings and carried him near to her.

As he came near, however, her body immediately moved in the opposite direction. Heero went still, and raised his gaze to meet hers for an explanation.

There was fear in her eyes, swirling faintly with the sapphire. He didn't have to voice his question.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, the tears threatening to overflow again. She looked like a cornered animal, and he hated it.

"What happened?" Heero said quietly, his eyes searching hers for any hint. When there was no answer, he very slowly sat down on the couch, noting how she warily watched his every move. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she murmured, looking down at the hardwood floor.

This wasn't going to work. Heero inhaled slowly.

"Then why," he whispered softly, "can't I…do this…?"

As he spoke, he slowly lifted his right hand to brush away a stray lock of hair from her forehead, but, just as he expected, she flinched away before his fingers could brush her skin. But Heero was prepared this time, and as she jerked, he reached with his other hand and very lightly wiped away a tearstain on her jawline.

As his fingers touched her face, Heero felt a jolt of something akin to electricity dash from his fingers, up his arm, and down his spine to the floor. She lifted her gaze to meet his, and for a split second the rest of the world went blurry; the only thing in focus was the soft azure of her eyes, the smooth skin beneath his fingers…

…the tear that slipped silently from the corner of her eye down her cheek.

And absolutely without thinking, Heero leaned forward until his lips brushed her skin, erasing the tear staining her fair complexion.

It was sweet joy to be that close, to be breathing in the soft, clean scent of her skin, to taste the salty tears on his tongue. He relished the feel, the sensation of the _nearness _of her…and then, ever so slowly, reluctantly pulled back, apprehending the look of rejection and disgust in her eyes.

But he was wrong; she was staring at him with an expression he couldn't name, one that stopped him just inches away from her face and would not let him go.

"Heero…" she whispered shakily. "Please…Don't leave me again."

He didn't answer; he didn't need to. At least not with words. At the pleading in her voice, Heero granted her the most certain assurance he could ever give.

He leaned forward, letting the emotions overrule the years of restraint, and kissed her.

It was heaven and beyond; it was tender and fierce and sweet all at the same time, more than anything he had ever dreamed. After a brief second of surprise, Relena responded, deepening the kiss, letting him know that she wanted more, _needed_ more.

Gradually, his hands moved up her arms and to her neck, his fingertips, light and ever so gentle, sending little currents of electricity through her body. She slowly changed positions, turning her body to face him so he could encircle her with her arms and pull her closer to him. And then, so very carefully, relishing every sensation and taking his sweet time, Heero moved the kisses down, feeling her tremble slightly as his mouth explored the hollows of her neck. The little movements, coupled with his kisses, caused the sleeve of her too-large pajama top to slip down, exposing her shoulder and way too much bare skin for him to handle.

There was one small thing that called to his attention before he completely surrendered himself to the emotions - it was that the skin of her upper arm wasn't the same fair porcelain as the rest; rather, it was a gruesome, only slightly-faded mixture of black and blue.

But Relena gave a small noise for more then, and that captured all of his attention. And for the first time in his life with Relena, Heero let all of his cares and worries slide, let himself concentrate on the here and now…concentrate on her.

Some time later, she gave a small sigh and rested her head against his chest, curled up against him with her hair tousled and cheeks slightly red…utterly angelic. And he knew that tonight, she would not wake up alone and cold, shivering with fright from her nightmares again. She was weary, worn out from the exertion of the nightmare, whatever it had been, and - surprising himself - Heero realized he wanted nothing more than to keep her close, and safe, tonight.

So he very tenderly lifted her into his arms, kissed her on the forehead, and took her upstairs, ignoring the door to the guestroom and instead nudging open his own. He laid her down delicately on the soft bed, and then carefully slid under the quilt next to her. As she settled into the mattress and sleepily pulled the covers up to her chin, Heero slid an arm around her stomach and pulled her tenderly towards him.

Then, just as she slipped off to sleep, he softly kissed the back of her neck, and whispered, his voice scratchy with emotion, "I will never leave you."


	4. Remain Hidden

-**Chapter 4**-

"_The bravest are the most tender. The loving are the most daring."  
__-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow_

The first thing Heero felt as he came slowly awake was regret. It was a regret that he suffered at least twice a week, when he woke after having another dream of Relena, one where he was just holding her close to him. Such dreams granted him nothing but grief and remorse in the mornings, and this one was no different…

…except he realized that his arms were wrapped protectively around something solid, warm, and close.

This had been no dream.

And slowly, the regret melted away to peace.

As he lay there, knowing the clock was ticking and he was due in for his early-morning shift, Heero began to feel an anxious little worry come creeping into his heart. Last night she had been exhausted, frightened…would everything change in the morning? Would she wake up…and regret what had happened?

Heero didn't think he could stand that - not now, when all he felt was a sweet contentment, a comfort he had never before experienced. It would be safer…to avoid the possibility of rejection, and just get out, so he could enjoy it while it lasted.

But she looked so lovely, stretched out on the pristine white of the mattress, that he couldn't resist kissing her - just once, very lightly - on the cheek, before he quietly rolled out of bed and headed to the bathroom for a shower.

* * *

It was very strange to wake up and recognize that for the first time in a very long time she wasn't awakening with a stone of dread sitting at the bottom of her stomach. As Relena opened her eyes, a smile spread across her face, she realized that there was nothing in her heart at the moment but a sweet peacefulness.

And just why that was so, she didn't exactly _remember_…

The quilt was dark blue.

Wait….that was weird…

Why had Heero changed the covers in the guestroom in the middle of the night? What was -

_Oh my lord_.

This was his bed. She was lying in Heero's bed, in Heero's room -

And then it all came rushing into her mind: the horrible memory in the middle of the night, too close to the truth to be called a nightmare; a tall shadow blasting into her room, scaring her half to death because for a moment it looked like _him_…but then it wasn't, it was Heero, and they were downstairs and she was apologizing and he was explaining _why_, and then -

_Oh God._

She lay frozen for a full five moments, her mind racing full speed ahead as the memories - golden, sweet, fire-lit - came flooding back. And _why_ - why was this affecting her so drastically? It was nothing but kissing, after all…

The moment she thought that she knew it was wrong. It _wasn't_ 'nothing but kissing.' Heero kissing her was like…was like…

Nothing else. It wasn't comparable to anything in the world.

He was gone; she was the only one in the bed, and from the sunlight streaming into the room Relena guessed that it was well beyond morning.

Why had he left without…

_Without what, Relena?_

He had to go to work, of course. And maybe he just didn't want to wake her…

…Or maybe he didn't want to _face_ her.

It was too worrisome to think about. She stood, wrapping a blanket around her shoulders, and left the room.

* * *

Reality set in at about the exact moment he walked through the front doors of the garage. The drive down from the cabin had been in peace, contentment, remembering the simple sweetness of waking up with her in his arms - but now that he was in the light of day, the light of _reality_, Heero realized his mistakes.

_Idiot_, he cursed mentally, slamming his toolbox down and yanking equipment off the shelves. _Stupid. Careless. What the _hell _were you thinking?_

The first poor vehicle to be subjected to his treatment was an old Ford Windstar, sitting innocently in the corner of the garage until fury appeared in the form of a dangerously good-looking, fuming mechanic.

_What in holy hell did you do, Yuy_? he berated himself, over and over again. _What made you think that _touching_ her was the right thing to do, let alone _kissing _her! Have you gone insane?_

The mental tirade continued as he fiercely battered the engine into submission, not paying any attention as he threw wrenches down, snatched tools from where he needed them, banged buckets and doors, and worked until he was sweaty, greasy, and exhausted.

How dare he assume that he could touch her like that - touch her like…like a - a _lover_. He hadn't seen the woman in four years! She probably had had a hundred boyfriends, probably had one _now_, in fact - heck, she was most likely _engaged_ -

At that thought, Heero's heart froze and his stomach did a very uncomfortable flip-flop.

Not good working conditions.

Abruptly he switched his train of thought.

He couldn't believe he had _kissed_ her. And all because she had just been acting a little jittery, a little scared - like he hadn't seen her scared before? His hands were covered, dripping, _stained_ with blood - the blood of countless innocents - and he dared touch the cleanest, purest human being found on Earth.

Why had he lost control? Why hadn't he seen the problem, realized that with every touch, every kiss, he was wiping that blood _on her - _

"Yuy?"

Abruptly, Heero stopped and blinked once. Twice.

The garage was an absolute mess. The Windstar looked great - better than great - but there was equipment tossed all over the floor, rags thrown every which way, and Heero himself looked like a wreck.

"Wow," muttered Sam, staring at the man in front of him. There were grease stains covering those jeans, smudges all over his face, and the shirt was bit torn. "Is there a…problem?"

_You think_? Heero's mind snapped, but the mask was in place; stoically, he grunted, "No."

"Uh…" Sam said, still a little dumbfounded. "You know all that was scheduled for that car was an oil change, right? I mean…you kinda went all-out…"

Heero glanced at the engine, studied the schedule sheet hanging on the wall nearby, and then threw his rag down and moved on to the next car. As he passed Sam, he muttered shortly, "Merry Christmas."

Sam opened his mouth to say something else, but there was a call from the front office:

"Yuy!"

Gritting his teeth, Heero stalked past Sam and headed to the office.

Moore was standing behind the desk, typing something on the beat-up company computer with a pencil between his teeth. "Yuy - " he muttered around the pencil " - the order for the Carrera and the red Beetle came in - "

Soundlessly Heero crossed around to the corner where orders were delivered and found the corresponding box.

"…aw, damn this computer," Moore grumbled fiercely, throwing down the pencil in exasperation. "How the crap do they expect me to calculate all this junk in my head, I thought this program was supposed to do it _for_ me, dirty son of a…"

Heero lifted the order onto one shoulder and crossed behind Moore again. He couldn't help but glance at the computer screen. Simplistic. He reached over, pressed a few keys, and then continued on his way.

Moore stared at the screen as calculations magically began appearing in the appropriate boxes. "Now how the heck did he manage that, the little…"

He was interrupted as the bells over the front door jingled, and some heavily booted feet came stomping into the front office. Moore looked up and grunted a hello.

Hank Cordez gave a jaunty little salute as he entered, then ran a hand through his thick black hair and continued to the back garage. He was six foot even, well-built, and notorious throughout Willow Lake as being the biggest chauvinistic womanizer on this side of the mountain. Since he had dropped out of high school in the tenth grade, a low-level mechanic was the best job he could get, but he wasn't complaining - since it was mostly females that ran the gas station next door, he was content.

Heero didn't even look up as Hank came blasting through the doorway. He was scrubbing a Chevy truck as hard as possible, gritting his teeth and willing himself to just focus on getting the job done.

"Guess what," Hank said, leaning smugly against the truck. "You're not going to believe this."

Heero didn't respond.

"I'm serious, man, take a guess. Guess what I saw today?"

Knowing the annoyance wouldn't leave until he had been dealt a satisfactory answer, Heero muttered, "The Buick you're supposed to be repairing."

"Nope!" Hank exclaimed gleefully. "You're never going to guess."

No answer - Heero just scrubbed harder and tried to block out the irritating whine.

"Okay, okay, okay, I'll tell you!" Hank stepped closer, taking a deep breath as if he was going to share the most important news in the world. "There is this chick," he said, very slowly, "walking around this town, and holy _shit_ is she gorgeous!"

Heero pretended like he didn't hear.

"She has got legs like - what was that one's name again? The brunette that got the paint job? Oh, Stacey - yeah, she's got legs like Stacey, and - "

"Hank."

"Heero, man, you would not believe how hot she is - I seriously just wanted to walk across the street and get her number right then and there, you know? I mean, I have never seen anybody - "

"Hank. I don't really care."

"Man, she's just like, all legs, and - holy shit, she's got the chest of - "

And just at the minute Heero turned to punch the guy, the door to the garage suddenly opened, and in came a certain blond head that Heero knew very well.

Relena stopped in the doorway when she realized that both men were staring at her - one, a good-looking guy she thought she had seen on her first day there, and the other a very worn and weary Heero.

"Hey," she said a little nervously, offering a small smile, "how's it going?"

Heero was still staring at her, but somewhere in the back of his senses he realized that Hank had gone from dumbfounded to automatic hit-on mode. After hissing, "That's _her_!" to Heero, he took two swaggering steps forward and pasted what was supposed to be a debonair grin on his face.

Because Heero's stomach and head were suddenly doing very odd things, whatever Hank said to Relena was entirely drowned out. He was torn between the joy of seeing her smile, fury at himself for letting himself think they could be like _that_, rage that Hank's filthy eyes had even had the chance to _look_ at her, and anxiety over what the hell he was going to do next.

But somehow, amid all the turmoil inside his mind, Heero felt a very small warmth spread from his heart as he looked at her. For a split second, Hank blurred and dropped out of the picture, and all he could see was the Relena that had slept in his embrace last night.

He glanced down, slowly took in his unkempt appearance, and reluctantly came back to reality.

_Remember, Yuy? The blood? The stains? Not to mention the _life _she has back home…_

Relena was glancing at him out of the corner of her eye as Hank rattled off every pick-up line in existence. Heero didn't even give her a second glance - not a smile, nothing…and then before she could say anything he had turned and gone back to work, his back firmly facing her.

"…so, you know, babe, we could just swing on by the diner for lunch and then head on over to my place - "

"No thanks," Relena answered quickly.

"What, you already have plans?"

Relena stole a swift glance in Heero's direction. Apparently…she wasn't in _his_ plans for the day. Or at all.

"Yeah," she murmured, as her heart slowly crumbled.

It took a full eight minutes and thirty-six seconds - she timed it - to get Hank to leave. When he had finally realized that Relena wasn't going to run off with him for the weekend, Hank swaggered back to the front office to regroup and re-strategize. By this time, Heero had scrubbed the entire truck from front to back - twice.

Evidently, he wasn't up for talking to her.

Which meant that he viewed last night as…what?

She had to talk to him. Taking a breath, Relena sat down on a nearby metal stool and murmured, "Good morning."

He didn't utter a word for a very long while, until finally she heard his voice from the other side of the truck: "How'd you get here?"

"Mr. Watson - he owns the grocery store - "

"I know who he is."

"I - well…I was walking outside the cabin and he passed on the road and…asked if I'd like a ride in."

Nothing. Not so much as a grunt of affirmation.

Relena waited another three minutes until she couldn't stand the silence any longer. Studying her hands carefully, she murmured, "I wanted…to thank you." There was no sound from around the truck, so she took a breath and continued, "I apologize again for waking you up and everything…and…" She stopped. She had no idea how to say the words.

He never gave her a chance. "It was a mistake."

His voice was sharp and cold, and it took a second for the words to sink in.

"What?"

"A mistake," Heero repeated harshly as he came around the truck. "It was a stupid, careless, immature mistake."

He watched as her mouth closed into a tight, firm line; her face paled, her posture went rigid, and the sapphire eyes hardened. They stared at each other for a second, until the ice in _her _eyes grew too much for the Perfect Soldier to handle. He turned abruptly, lifted the rag, and went back to polishing the already-shining Chevy. After a moment, he heard the door to the front office open and close.

She had left.

Perfect. _Mission accomplished._

But then…why was he suddenly struck with the desire to throw down the rag and never look at another engine again?

* * *

The rest of the day was harsh - _very_ harsh. As Heero moved throughout the building, working steadily, he soon realized that Relena was perched on a stool in the front office, chatting with Sam and Hank as if they were her best friends.

Hank! Of all people! The slimeball was hanging around her like a leech. Pretty soon, it grew too much for him to handle, and Heero finally fought down his pride and entered the office to pick up another order and do a little reconnaissance.

Well, that was far worse than if he had just stayed in the garages. Relena didn't even glance at him as he entered, just continued talking amiably to his two colleagues, and the smug look that Hank shot him was enough to make Heero want to pick Relena up, throw her into the truck, and drive her right back up to the cabin.

But the one time she looked at him, it was with enough cool apathy that he decided that it would be better for his health if he refrained.

However, Hank was lucky that he didn't attempt to touch her - very angry woman or not, if that worm had tried to get his hands on Relena, Heero would've slammed the dirty bastard into the ground and never thought twice.

* * *

An hour before closing time, Heero was in unmitigated, tortuous hell. Throughout the day she had stayed in the office, carrying on what sounded like cheerful conversations with the other workers - not to mention charming every customer that came in. Laughter carried right through the door into the garage, echoing against the gray walls and ringing painfully in his ears.

Somehow, it was the realization that he had lost his chance to be included in her conversation, her world, that was tearing him apart. He kept trying to tell himself that he had done the right thing, kept her clean, kept her safe - and yet…as she continued to ignore him the rest of the day, Heero found himself reluctantly regretting his harsh words.

He missed her.

_Ah shit._

That couldn't be good.

At six o'clock, after working far more than his share for the day, Heero was at boiling point. What exactly he was mad at, he wasn't sure, but it didn't matter. After cleaning up, stashing away his tools, there was nothing else for it: he ran a hand through his hair and stepped into the office.

Relena had been in the middle of a sentence, but as he entered she stopped short. Sam turned and grinned broadly at the weary mechanic.

"Hey, kid," he said. "Good to see you for the first time all day."

Heero glanced over the office. There were wrappers and soda cups from the sub shop down the street; they had ordered dinner, and Relena was wearing a jacket from one of the uniform closets. She looked like she belonged, and he felt uncomfortably like he didn't. Damn that woman for upending his life here.

Moore looked up Heero up and down, and muttered, "Yuy, you've been working twice your hours this week. I hope you got a good reason, 'cause I ain't paying you extra."

"Wintertime is busy," Heero muttered shortly.

"You better get back home, Heero," Hank put in, the self-satisfied tone of his voice unmistakable. He didn't know much, but he had realized that the pretty blond had some sort of effect on the normally stone-solid worker. "Radio said a storm's coming in tonight."

Heero pulled his keys from his pocket and headed toward the door, stopping only to say shortly, "Get your stuff," to Relena.

"I'm staying at the hotel."

He stopped with his hand on the doorknob, and turned with fire already raging in his eyes. "What?"

"I'm sure there's a room open now."

At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to physically pick her up and throw her into the truck. "You're not staying at the hotel, Re - _Elizabeth_," he growled.

She raised an eyebrow coolly. "Actually, I am."

"Yeah," Hank cut in, grinning like a fool, "I'll take you over there, Lizzy. I've got connections."

The smug expression on her face wavered. "Oh, Hank, that's not…"

"Sure," Heero smirked, knowing he had won. "Hank would love to get you a room at the hotel. I'm sure you'd be well accommodated."

Glaring more fiercely than he had ever witnessed, Relena stood, snatched up her bag, and stalked angrily through the door. Heero followed her, feeling smugly like he had just defeated a hundred enemy mobile suits…which was pretty much the equivalent of a furious Foreign Minister.

* * *

Relena didn't remember the last time she felt her heart being ripped out, but she figured that was probably a good thing. If this had been the second time around, she didn't know if she could handle it.

For the first full three minutes after Heero had voiced his opinion of last night's…actions…all she had wanted to do was cry. But gradually, as she watched him move about his work with his easy natural grace, she decided that that was it. The end. She wasn't going to fool herself about him anymore, wasn't going to let what he said and did bother her – and more quickly than she would have expected, the fury took over. _How _dare_ he treat me like this after disappearing for four entire years._

Sitting in the truck with him as he drove silently down Main Street, Relena felt her muscles tense and her fingers tighten around her purse. She had had every intention of staying at the hotel tonight, regardless of rude receptionists, and found his smugness at having won the argument to be absolutely aggravating.

He stopped only to get himself some dinner. He didn't ask if she wanted anything, didn't even consider the possibility that she might want to get _out_ at the diner, and so Relena sat very stubbornly and very still in the truck while he ordered. Five minutes later, the uneasiness must've gotten to him too, because he muttered, "Are you hungry?"

Still furious, even after several hours of trying to ignore him, Relena didn't answer.

A few moments passed, and after a while Relena noticed his right index finger tapping impatiently against the steering wheel. Interesting; she'd never seen him do something so…normal like that before.

His voice was low and grating when he muttered, "I asked you a question."

Staring straight out the window, Relena replied calmly, "I don't have to answer it."

"Fine," he growled, obviously irritated. "Starve."

"Fine, I will." It was childish, but she couldn't help it.

"Fine."

"_Fine_."

Silence for exactly thirty-one seconds. Not that she was counting...

"Why do you have to be like that?" Heero inquired wearily, exhaling.

She had never known him to start an argument. Apparently she really was annoying him.

Good.

"Be like _what_?"

"Naïve. Immature."

"What!" she cried, whirling around and forgetting that she had been trying to ignore him. "How dare you call me that! I can't believe you would even - "

"You're usually rather composed," he said mildly, eyes on the road. "I don't understand what would get you all riled up like this, but you can be sure that it wouldn't go over very well in a press conference."

"_What_?" Relena said again. "I can't believe you just said that! What do you think I am, a zombie? You think I'm never allowed to get angry?"

Heero glanced sideways. "Apparently you are."

"I'm _human_, Heero! Did that ever cross your mind? No, because all I ever am to you is an object, a thing to be protected, a mission objective!"

He very slowly opened his mouth to say something, but she didn't let him.

"You think I can just move from interview to interview with the same mask in place and never let it slip? I'm not one of those people that can pretend to be something they're not - "

"Calm down," Heero interrupted her, his voice cool and even.

She sat back, her mouth shut, and glared icily at him. "You," she spat, "are a cold, unfeeling robot."

The ever-present mask on his face fell for just a second; he glanced at her, stunned, and when he replied his tones were deathly chill. "I didn't ask you to come up here, Relena."

"It wasn't voluntary," she spat back. "I don't particularly enjoy staying with you, either."

"Don't give me that," he said, scoffing derisively. "You _ran_ from the city. You knew you'd end up somewhere, not be able to handle it, and have to go running back to civilization and your pampered life."

They had reached the cabin, and it was a good thing that Heero had stopped the truck, because just one beat of silence passed before Relena reached over and slapped him across the cheek.

Heero was so surprised his reflexes didn't kick in; her palm caught him right across the face, ringing throughout the cab of the truck with a loud crack, his skin immediately blushing an angry red. He didn't say anything, but very slowly just turned and met her gaze.

She was staring at him, furious, her eyes shimmering from unshed tears and her entire body shaking with suppressed rage. "Don't you _ever_," she spat, so quiet it was almost hard for him to hear, "say that again."

Heero didn't move.

"You can insult what I say, how I act, what I wear, but don't you ever call me naïve and weak again."

The tone in her voice was one he had never heard before, and the look in her eyes was both frightening and intriguing. Heero realized, as he heard her voice shake with what _sounded_ like rage but…might have been something else?…that she was hiding something. And it was probably the same thing that had caused her to wake up screaming in the middle of the night last night.

Very slowly, his gaze dropped from her face to her shoulder, where a dim memory, blurred in a haze of firelight and soft, sweet kisses, was itching in his mind. He had missed something…some important observation had been forgotten in the blur that was last night…

…and then, as her sleeve slipped just slightly, he remembered.

"Who hurt you?" he murmured, his voice devoid of any and all emotion.

The change in subject caught Relena off guard. "Wha - ?"

His voice as he spoke the next few words wasn't above a whisper. "Your shoulder."

Her hand instinctively moved to her right upper arm, covering it with her palm. "What?" she repeated.

"There are bruises," Heero murmured, slowly and with finality, "on your shoulder."

Relena was frozen for only a moment, and then she abruptly turned and opened the truck door, muttering, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Heero retaliated quickly, getting out of the truck and following her as she stalked angrily to the front door of his cabin. "God damn it," he hissed, "who _hurt_ you, Relena?"

She didn't turn around, just repeated, "I don't know what you're talking abou - "

He interrupted her by stepping forward and pulling the neck of her sweater down slightly, just enough to expose her bra strap and the top of the blackish-blue skin on her upper arm. Relena froze at his touch, then very slowly met his eyes.

"Don't hide from me," he hissed. "_Who hurt you_?"

Relena pulled away from his touch and said angrily, "_You _hid from _me_, for four years, Heero."

And with that, she turned and headed for the cabin again.

"Relena," he snapped, "you're going to tell me, I don't care if I have to - "

"What, _now_ you're interested?" she shot back, stomping up the porch steps. "You up and leave for four years, and when I by chance stumble upon you up here, you think you can just jump back into the swing of things again?" Her words were coming fast and hard, the emotions flinging out and whipping across him like a lash. "Not that there ever _was_ a swing of things. It was always business to you, wasn't it, Heero? There was never anything more than protecting me, was there? You never cared about anything besides fulfilling the mission."

As her outburst came to an abrupt stop, Heero found himself standing on his front porch, facing her. She was waiting for him to bite back, to snap, to take the bait…but his eyes had fallen below her face.

The sleeve was still slightly crooked on her arm, just barely enough to let him see the top of the ugly black and blue stain. At the sight of the injury, Heero felt something stir in the pit of his stomach. It was a terrible fury, but it wasn't directed at her; it was for whoever had had the brashness to wound the woman for whom he would give his life.

Relena was glaring defiantly at him, knowing he was about to return her tirade with a cynical bite of his own. Her astonishment was infinite when he took a quiet step forward. When he spoke, his voice was soft, but firm.

"Tell me who did this to you, Relena."

Surprise darted through her eyes. "Why?" she murmured in return, a biting edge still lacing her voice. "What do you plan on doing about it?"

There was no hesitation.

"Killing them."

For the longest time, there wasn't a sound. They stood mere inches apart, gazes locked, muscles tense. And then, something very small and cold landed on the tip of Relena's nose. Startled, she reached a hand up, and as she did so Heero felt an odd prickling on the back of his neck. Not thinking straight, he turned quickly to anticipate danger, but saw no assassins hidden among the pines. He turned back to Relena for explanation, and saw to his utter surprise that a small smile was gracing her features.

"Heero," she murmured softly, "it's snowing."

And then - why, he had no idea - Heero was possessed with a burning desire to make everything right again, to wipe the sharp contours of sadness and anger from her features and bring the light back into those eyes. All memories of that morning gone, he lifted his hand and very slowly brought it up to her face. As his skin brushed hers, smoothing away the tiny wet drops left by the first-falling snowflakes, he felt her shiver just slightly.

Her lips parted, her left hand reaching up to cover his: "Heero, I thought…but…this morning…"

The vulnerability in her eyes was killing him. The fact that someone had injured this angel, this beauty, this determined, headstrong, exasperatingly stubborn woman, made him want to take her in his arms and hold her and tell her that everything would be all right. He would _make_ it all right.

"I was wrong," he whispered, and it was true.

As the snow began to fall harder, swirling around them in a dance of soft blue twilight, Heero gently pulled her towards him and kissed her with all the tenderness he possessed. It wasn't passionate and fierce, but soft and pure, a kiss that eased her cares and tension. It was then that Relena felt four years of mental and physical torture lift from her body, felt a quiet warmth permeate every fiber of her being, and knew suddenly that being here, with him, was all she would ever need.

He pulled back just slightly, enough to break the kiss but with their foreheads still touching. She closed her eyes, gave a quietly shuddering exhale, and breathed in the strong foresty smell of _him_. His arms were around her, strong arms that would lift and support and carry.

As the snow began to fall harder and moonlight reflected off the sparkling blanket of snow on his grass, Heero whispered, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but…you're safe here, Relena. I'll protect you."

The familiar words reached her ears and Relena pulled her head back slightly to smile softly at him. The look in his eyes, however, stopped her short: it was an expression she had never seen before, something deep and striking and somehow so _strong_ it made her breathing unsteady and the world spin slightly.

Fifteen minutes later, the soft moonlight through the bedroom window illuminated the gentle curves of her face as Heero's hands smoothed away the fear and hurt. He lifted her chin so that their eyes met, moon-lit sapphire and stormy, heated Prussian blue, and then he leaned forward to whisper, "You're safe here."

His warm breath on her neck sent shivers up her spine, but it was when he bent his head to kiss her lingeringly on the mouth, that she lost all coherent thought. All that existed was a sense of belonging, of freedom, and of safety. For with him, the nightmares and terror vanished into nothing but sweet, comforting peace. With him…everything was right.


	5. It's What We Leave Behind

-**Chapter 5**-

"_I love you not because of who you are, but because of who I am when I am __with you."  
__- Unknown_

The next morning was the second time she had awakened in Heero's bed, but it was very different from the first. Relena slowly came alert, her eyes taking in the sunlight on the walls, the silhouette of the trees outside through the window, and the feeling of being completely comfortable. She was lying on her side, facing the window, with the soft blankets up to her chin and wrapped around her body. As the memories of the night before came slowly back, a very small smile graced her features, and she burrowed a little deeper into the warm sea of quilts.

She had never known a feeling like Heero's arms wrapped around her body before; prior to last night, she had never slept so soundly in her life, either. After kissing her sweetly, Heero had merely guided her to the bed, pulled the blankets up around them, and took his time wrapping his arms around her. He treated her so _gently_, so delicately, like she was something about to break into a million pieces.

The thought must've gone through his mind to do more than just sleep next to her last night; she had seen the look in his eyes. But he hadn't even started down that track; it was as if he somehow understood completely how slowly, how carefully he'd have to move to gain her trust back. For a moment last night, the first few times he had touched her, a painful memory would be jerked sharply into the front of her mind, and Relena would have to fight down the urge to break away and run. But his hands were so patient, and slow, and tender…soon, the memories melted away.

Relena twisted onto her other side, stifling a yawn and stretching a little bit. From the strength of the sunlight on the wall, it must've been late morning. And unlike the previous morning, after awakening in this same bed, Relena felt no anxiety or uneasiness. She ran her hand over the mattress, still dented a little bit from where he had slept; even though he was gone, she knew he wasn't far.

It took her a few moments to see the note lying on his pillow; when she recognized his quick, angular handwriting, Relena couldn't stop a small smile from spreading across her face and she sat up in bed, gathering the covers around her.

It was short, just a scrap torn from a notepad somewhere, and it read only:

_Look outside_.

A man of few words, indeed. Smiling, she swung her bare feet off the bed and onto the ground, pulling a blanket around her body for added warmth. Relena crossed the bedroom to sit on the windowsill, and carefully pulled back the curtain.

Her breath immediately caught in her throat; the sight was overwhelmingly beautiful. The pines surrounding Heero's cabin were frosted in a thick dusting of snow, and in all directions the ground was lovingly covered in a flawless blanket of perfect, unending white. Just a few hundred yards away, the banks of the lake were edged in silver ice, the water a calm, deep blue. It was a scene of peace, of renewal…of hope.

* * *

The trees, somehow, had never seemed quite so green.

Maybe it was because they contrasted sharply against the pristine white of the snow. But for whatever reason, the pines and firs were a verdant, deep jade…and he wondered why he had never noticed it before.

The sky, too - even with silver clouds, it still seemed so _blue_.

And for once, he didn't mind the constant country music playing on the radio.

_Whoa_.

What the hell had happened to him?

Heero went through the regular motions of his day with an odd sense of detachment. He winterized every car that came through his garage, not paying attention to models or brands or even exactly what he was doing…it was just habit.

But on an average of every half hour or so, his gaze would flicker impatiently to the clock.

Something had changed, deep inside. He had felt it this morning, the second time he had awoken with his body protectively against hers, and he could feel it now. For some reason he couldn't find, couldn't explain, he was…_changed_.

It was a good thing. He recognized this in observing that he felt strangely…cheerful. Nothing, not even a grumpy trucker with an '89 Dodge past all hope of survival could get rid of that persistent cheerfulness. It wasn't anything drastic - he certainly wasn't a smiling pot of sunshine all day - but there was a little flicker of contentment, of happiness…of hope…somewhere inside.

He observed a few of the other workers for what was really the first time; they had just been coworkers before, but now he saw them as the husbands and fathers they were. He watched during lunchtime as they unpacked meals carefully prepared by their wives; he noted how they good-naturedly complained over the incessant ham-and-cheese and teased one about an affectionate note written on a napkin. Only one word came to mind to describe the scene: _normal_. This…was normal.

And when the clock neared five, and the men began packing up their things and talking about what was on the table for dinner, Heero - for the first time - began to feel a strange sort of belonging.

After all…there was a woman at his cabin.

He didn't know how it had happened. He didn't know what had changed inside. But it _had_ happened, _something _had changed…and she was there.

But there was this sliver of doubt that kept pricking uneasily at his heart, slicing a hole and cutting deeper and deeper with every sweet memory brought back.

_Yuy_, he told himself sternly as he carried his things out to the truck, _she is at your cabin, waiting for you. _For some reason, Fate had decided to bring her to him.

It was so _strange_, thinking like that. She didn't belong to him - she never had, and never would…something so precious, so sacredly priceless, had no place in the life of a murderer.

_But_…_she's there._

And she was scared…and hurt…and alone. In need of protection.

_And that_, Heero told himself, _is a mission I can accept._

* * *

There was something strangely refreshing, something reassuringly normal, about waiting for a man to return from a regular five-to-eight shift at work. Back home there was no such thing as schedule or routine - each day was different in some way, whether it be meeting times or dinner dates or galas or business trips. She had learned to deal with the constant not-knowing what was going to spring up next; she had taught herself how to make decisions at the spur of the moment. Never before had she had time to sit and plan, and think, and have time to herself to get things done. He left nothing but the note on his pillow, but somewhere in her heart Relena knew that he would be back soon. It was a reassurance that thousands of women on the Earth must feel every day, that just about the time the sun was setting, the garage door would open, the familiar sound of scuffing boots would echo in the entryway, and the man they loved would come striding into the house. And though she was absolutely a self-proclaimed feminist and in no way believed women should be relegated to the kitchen, Relena couldn't help but love the normalcy and simple contentment of having a place that felt like home.

There was a small fire blazing in the fireplace when she eventually came downstairs, so the whole building was warm. Relena walked through the cabin, opening the window shades just enough to allow a glimpse of the steadily falling snow, and then headed to the kitchen.

Heero's kitchen.

She was living in Heero's cabin.

There was a small, irritating little whisper in the back of her mind that hissed every now and then that this was entirely too good to be true…that she couldn't run from reality…that she had obligations, and duties…that she was a coward…that she knew she'd have to go back eventually.

Relena knew all of this, and she accepted all of it…she just…didn't want to think about it quite yet.

The day passed in a kind of quiet serenity; the snow continued falling, the cabin stayed warm and cozy, and she busied herself in a little bit of cleaning. It had been so long since she had done something as normal as the dishes, and even though she realized how strange it was, Relena reveled in the opportunity to scrub greasy pans.

In the early evening she began preparing dinner, another task she hadn't performed in a long while. Through the methodic chopping of vegetables and business of managing the stove, microwave, oven, and sink all at one time, she began to slip slowly away from the demons that had been prowling the edge of her mind all week. It was the same thing that happened whenever Heero held her - the fear that was constantly gnawing at her heart would ebb, and peace would flow gradually throughout her body.

The Perfect Soldier was even winning the battle against her nightmares - and for Relena, it was a much-needed victory.

* * *

She was in the kitchen preparing dinner when Relena heard a key scrape in the front door, and for a split second her stomach dropped to the floor. Her mind shot back to yesterday, and the heartbreak she had suffered throughout that day, and fear gripped her heart. She didn't think she could stand that again…

So she didn't look up when she sensed him step into the kitchen, just kept concentrating on stirring the spaghetti sauce on the stove. That was why she jumped a half-second later, when two very strong arms snaked delicately around her stomach and pulled her close to a very firm, very nice-smelling body.

Startled, Relena laughed it off and put the spoon down. She turned to look up at him, and the disheveled, weary mechanic with his arms wrapped around her was something straight from a dream.

"Hey," he murmured, a small smile gracing his features.

"You, sir," Relena said teasingly, wiping a smudge of grease from his forehead, "are going to make the dinner burn." She couldn't help but smile, though, and she didn't want him to let go.

But he did, a little too quickly, as if he wasn't sure whether to take her seriously or not. She gave him another smile, to assure him she was kidding, and then reluctantly turned back to the stove.

"How was work?"

The soft thunderous rumble of his voice came from somewhere behind her: "Long."

The sound sent little shivers up her spine, and reveling in the feeling of having him home and _hers_, Relena turned off the stove. She couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face as she announced, "Dinner is ready."

* * *

"Favorite color."

The warm kitchen lights brought out the tiny flecks of gold in his Prussian-blue eyes. "Color?"

"Yep." Relena twisted more spaghetti noodles around her fork, watching him carefully.

The corner of Heero's mouth was twitching up just a little, as if he were hiding a smile. "Don't have one."

"What?" she cried. "Okay, that is it. Heero, _everyone_ has a favorite color."

"I doubt that. Besides, why have a preference?" he drawled idly, taking a bite of garlic bread.

Relena raised an eyebrow. "Individuality. Come on, pick one."

He heaved a small sigh. "I guess I'd choose…brown."

"What! _Brown_?"

"Is that unacceptable?"

"Well - it's just that…brown is such a _boring_ color. I mean…it's the color of dirt, for heaven's sake. It's mud and dust and …" Relena trailed off. "I guess…it's a great color, if you really love it."

When he didn't reply, she glanced up just in time to catch the teasing light in his eyes, and a hint of a grin. Deprecatingly she lifted the crust of her garlic bread and tossed it at him, which he caught easily in his free hand. "We _said_," she told him sternly, "no cheating at the twenty-questions game."

"Who said I was cheating?" he intoned innocently.

"Brown?" Relena asked, one eyebrow raised.

"I don't think it's very nice to insult someone's favorite color."

"Fine," she gave up, laughing and settling back into her chair. "Your turn."

Heero looked at her for a moment, enjoying the way the corners of her eyes crinkled when she laughed and the soft light making her hair shimmer. They were eating dinner together at his table, like two people who had known - really known - each other for years. And he felt…free. Like anything he said, anything he did, was okay. He could speak his mind, and - heaven forbid - enjoy himself.

"Favorite season," he murmured, watching her carefully.

"Mmm…" Relena thought for a moment. "I'd have to say spring."

"Why."

She made a face at him. "Does everything always require an explanation?"  
"The more specifics researched, the greater the chance of overtaking the enemy."

One eyebrow shot up. "And am I the enemy?"

"No," he answered calmly, "but the same principle applies."

"There's just something about starting fresh, and erasing the past year's mistakes, that comes with spring. And it's about hope, too - throughout the winter, when the sky's dark and the weather is terrible, and you're locked inside those conditions day in and day out, sometimes you start to think maybe that's all it'll ever be. But then spring comes, and you realize that there really is, pardon the cliché, a light at the end of the tunnel."

"An idealist," Heero observed.

"Very much so. One of my biggest faults."

"Not true," he corrected her, a surprising note of gentleness in his deep voice. "One of the main reasons, I believe, you lead the world today. Your turn."

Relena thought for a long moment, stirring the noodles around on her plate but not really seeing them. Finally, she asked softly, "How long does it take to fix a Carrera?"

His dark eyes flashed to hers. It was a few seconds before Heero replied very quietly, "However long you want it to take."

And slowly, she smiled.

* * *

In the following three weeks, Heero came to realize that he was in possession of the most priceless thing he had ever known. Never in his wildest dreams had he dared to imagine living in the same house as Relena, not as a bodyguard or soldier, but as a companion and friend. Not a second passed in which he wasn't totally aware of how lucky he was to be able to see her face every day, to wake up with this woman in his arms. He lived those three weeks with bated breath, expectant at every second that she was going to be snatched from under his nose. Somehow, in the past years, he had done something incredible to deserve her company.

Relena had thought that it might be a little awkward, living in Heero's house, but she settled in right away. And though he certainly wasn't a very talkative companion, he didn't need to be. There was something about his very presence that calmed and comforted her.

The days fell into an easy routine, something very foreign to Relena but very, very welcome. Most of the time she stayed at the cabin while Heero went to work; she took walks around the lake, read, and simply enjoyed the sweet comfort of having someplace warm and cozy to call home. Some days she went into town with him, and spent the day talking to the people there. She made friends quickly, and twice she and Heero were invited over to a neighbor's house for dinner. They adored Relena. Her cheerfulness and sincere compassion for them and their lives granted her new friends very quickly, not to mention the intrigue that came with such a lovely young woman staying with such a stoic and reclusive young man.

The townspeople, who had never connected much with Heero, suddenly found themselves drawn to a new side of the silent mechanic. It wasn't anything huge, but the little things grew more and more noticeable; the way he held the door open for 'Elizabeth', the new gentleness in his tone, the quiet smile that graced his features more and more often. He was softer, kinder, in very subtle and very slight ways that made the townspeople glance once, then away, then back again - not realizing in the first go that they were looking at a changed person.

The evenings were spent in each other's company, eating simple dinners while sitting at the fire and, more often than not, listening to the snowstorm outside. The conversations were quiet and serious some nights, and loud and cheerful on others; a select few evenings, Relena was surprised and delighted to hear Heero laugh…something she had never before witnessed. And while it was quiet, a little somber, and introspective just like the rest of him, it was yet another window opening up into his heart that she loved and cherished. Each moment spent with him was something she treasured; for the first time, they weren't hindered by the limits and regulations of employer/employee relationships, or unwritten social laws, or even simple propriety. High up in the mountains in a reclusive little town, they could abandon all 'procedures,' all 'itineraries,' and just…be.

The nights were spent next to each other, but Heero never once made a move. He seemed to understand - without them ever discussing it outright - that she had been shaken very badly, and wasn't ready for an intimate relationship. She would often fall asleep before him, curled up tightly on her side of the bed, and Heero would later join her, relishing the feeling of very slowly wrapping his arms around her body…letting her get more and more used to and comfortable with the feeling each night, until finally all her flinches and shudderings had disappeared. Relena was comfortable in his arms.

This realization shocked him to his core…and brought him a sweet sort of happiness that was both very unfamiliar and very welcome.

Relena felt as though she was stuck in a kind of in-between world, caught somewhere between heaven and the hell she had been living back home. It was as if she were living just on the boundary of light and shadow, barely escaping the chill fingers of fate and duty…but somehow, with one look, one gentle touch from Heero, those imminent feelings of foreboding and horror disappeared; she found herself staying more and more on the heaven side of things as the days went on.

And so three weeks passed in a sweet, peaceful contentment; neither had ever been so happy in their lives. Heero had never felt such a purpose, such a reason to get up and get going in the mornings, and Relena had never known the freedom that seemed to flourish up in those mountains. They were each other's best friend and constant companion - a partnership, a flawless combination of two people who completed each other. And even though the occasional argument sprang up, it was quick and usually ended in laughs.

They were living a dream.

And then, all too soon, they were jerked harshly awake.

* * *

Two weeks before Christmastime, Willow Lake was sufficiently snowed in. Heero had been shoveling fiercely away at his driveway for the past ten days, and Relena's routine of taking walks around the lake had quickly disappeared after sinking thigh-deep into the drifts twice. It was a little troublesome, a little inconvenient, but it was also gorgeous and serene and served as a daily reminder to Relena that something fresh and new and beautiful was happening.

She hadn't been going into town with him lately, just because it was freezing cold and too much of a hassle to run from shop to shop trying to keep warm. But since Heero hated grocery shopping and as a result didn't buy food until the situation grew desperate - and Relena hadn't been going into town - they were sorely lacking in the pantry department. So Monday afternoon, exactly three weeks to the day she had arrived in Willow Lake, Relena drove in with Heero to the grocery store.

As usual, it had snowed softly all night and into the morning, but by afternoon the flakes had ceased falling. They stepped out of the truck, Relena shivering slightly in the chill winter air; Heero moved closer and, without speaking, took her gloved hand in his while telling her about something that had happened at the garage that morning.

The minute they entered the store, there was a high-pitched squeal and a blur of brown curls and big brown eyes. Relena barely had time to react before a small body rammed into hers.

"Lizzy! Lizzy! Holy cow you've been gone for six million years - "

Laughing, Relena disentangled herself from the small seven-year-old girl. "Sarah, sweetie, I was here just last week."

"It was longer," the little girl said defiantly. She raised her eyes to Heero and all of a sudden, the bubbly demeanor disappeared. Sarah smiled very shyly. "Good afternoon, Mr. Heero," she said quietly, obviously on her best behavior.

Heero glanced sideways at Relena, who was struggling to hide a smile. "Afternoon, Miss Barker. And how are you today?"

"J-just fine," she whispered. "I was - "

"Sarah, I hope you're not bothering the customers!" a tall brunette called from the register in the corner. Embarrassed, Sarah immediately ran over to her mother.

"Sorry, Heero," the woman called, giving him a small smile. "I suppose the crush hasn't disappeared yet."

"No trouble, Mrs. Barker," he returned, eyeing the smirk on Relena's face.

"Let me know if you need any help."

They moved off together, grabbing a shopping cart and heading down the first aisle. Relena was still smirking as she set two gallons of milk in the cart.

"What are you laughing at?" Heero murmured, a small smile on his face.

Relena grinned and said demurely, "Oh, nothing really. I just find it funny how you seem to affect every woman in this town, regardless of age. All the single ones, at least." She paused while reaching for a carton of eggs and added, "Well, every woman except one."

He turned from where he was grabbing cereal boxes to flash her a raised eyebrow. "And which one is that?"

"Well," she said lightly, "that new girl in town, Elizabeth? She's actually too busy for you, you know."

"Oh really?" he returned, moving quickly. "Too busy doing what, grocery shopping?" Before she could think of a reply, he had slid an arm around her waist and stepped so close she lost her train of thought.

"I - " she started, but he leaned in and placed a quick kiss on her cheek that silenced her immediately. And then he was gone, moving down the aisle with his back to her.

Making a face, Relena caught up to whack him with a bag of croutons, which he didn't even bother to deflect. "You," she said accusingly, "are way too conceited for your own good."

He didn't say anything, just smirked.

Relena heaved a sigh and headed to the right, pretending to be aggravated. Heero paused a moment, watching her as she paused to consider the prices of the fruit on display, and for a moment he couldn't move. A small smile played around his mouth as he gazed at her, suddenly fascinated with the way her brow furrowed as she debated over the oranges, and the easy grace with which she moved. She was beautiful, just in jeans and a heavy jacket, with her hair loose and tousled. And not for the first time in the past few weeks, Heero sent a fervent thank-you to heaven for allowing him to be with her.

"…and eighty-nine cents, which I think is better than what they were…" Relena trailed off, glancing up and realizing that he hadn't heard a word she had said. "Heero Yuy," she said sternly, "I am seriously debating the pricing of these grapes and you are not helping."

He grinned and said unrepentantly, "Sorry."

She made a face at him. "If you're not going to be of assistance, I hereby sentence you to vegetable duty."

Still grinning, he left, crossing the produce section to study the array of vegetables for purchase. He heard the bell on the front door of the store ring twice, but the Perfect Soldier was distracted, caught up in the simple pleasure of being here with her.

* * *

Relena was smiling as she pushed the cart down the last aisle. He was such a quiet strength, but Heero was by far the best thing that had ever happened to her. It was pretty funny - or a testament to how bad her job had been lately - than she would rather go grocery shopping with Heero in everyday clothes than attend an extravagant awards ceremony alone in a gorgeous gown. And maybe that was what life is really about: finding someone, somewhere, with whom you never feel uncomfortable or -

"Relena?"

The voice came from her right, but for a split second Relena thought maybe she had imagined it, that some horrible fragment of her nightmares had burst into her head without warning. Her back went ramrod straight and she began begging, _pleading_, for that voice to go away.

"Relena, honey? Oh my God, Relena - "

But it wasn't in her mind. The world seemed to tip and sway as she very slowly turned to her right. Her blood ran cold at what she saw, and the bag of pretzels she had been holding fell to the floor.

* * *

Heero was selecting broccoli stalks, still smiling a little to himself, when something very strange and very out-of-place reached his ears. He paused, wondering what had made that little warning bell go off in his head - and then it came again.

"…Relena…"

_What the hell?_

Nobody in town knew who she was…suddenly, a very large and very black shadow crept into his stomach. Something was very wrong -

He left the broccoli where it was and turned, searching the aisles until he found Relena. She was standing next to their cart, and right in front of her stood a tall man with a chiseled face and sandy blond hair. As Heero approached - the feeling of dread increasing with every step - he felt his hands tighten into fists. Something was _wrong_.

"…three weeks, honey! I've been searching _everywhere_ - " the man said, and then, with Heero less than ten feet away, stepped forward and pulled Relena into his arms, hugging her fiercely and then kissing her on the same cheek Heero had kissed just moments before.

He froze, absolutely unable to move. The man looked up and saw him for the first time, and his brow furrowed in puzzlement. Relena turned to see what he was looking at, and Heero realized that all the color had drained from her face; her skin was ashen gray, her eyes wide and fearful. She met his gaze for less than a second before staring at the ground, still and silent.

_Oh God, Relena…_

"Sweetheart? What's going on - do you know this guy?" The blond man reached out and took her hand, and Heero's heart contracted painfully in his chest. The guy was wearing the most expensive-looking clothes Heero had ever seen - and he had been around a lot of wealthy people - and appeared to be a very high-level aristocrat. Either that or a prince.

Heero could not tear his gaze away from Relena; she wouldn't look at him. Her free hand was trembling.

"Re, sweetie? What's wrong?"

The man lightly touched her face, and Relena flinched just the tiniest bit - only enough for Heero to catch. She murmured haltingly, "N-nothing. He's….he's just the mechanic fixing my car."

The blow hit Heero right in the heart.

_Just the mechanic_.

"Is that what happened? Oh, Re, why didn't you call me? You know I could've had our car up here in a day and a half, darling, you could've been home weeks ago - " He gave a little laugh and pulled her into a hug, saying, "Sweetheart, you can't always do things by yourself, you know. Right?"

It was all Heero could do to keep from exploding. That man was holding, touching, caressing Relena right there in front of him. And despite the silky sweetness of the man's words, the look in her eyes was terrifying Heero. This was not right; something was amiss, he just couldn't -

"…it's okay now, though, right? I'm so glad I followed that tip, sweetheart, I can't believe I found you! Here, my car's outside. I'm here to take you home, darling. I've missed you so much - "

_Take her home_. Heero's world was spinning.

And then the man pulled Relena closer to him so that her body was pressed against his, and dipped his head down to kiss her.

_Oh God, oh God_…he couldn't stand it. Couldn't handle it. Heero felt like exploding into a million pieces, but he couldn't even summon the ability to blink.

"…anything you need? As long as there's no valuables, everything you brought up can be replaced, right? Come on, sweetheart, let's get out of here."

His arm was snaked around her shoulders, and then they began moving to the exit. The guy was leading her straight out the door - Relena was leaving, she was _leaving_, goddamn it! - she didn't even turn around to _look_ at him, and his hands were shaking and his heart was pounding but he didn't know what the hell to do…

And so Heero stood there, in the middle of the grocery store, with a trembling body, watching his dream, his life, walk out the door….his arms aching to take her back.

But he didn't move.

And it wasn't even three minutes before he heard the sound of an engine start up and caught a glimpse of a car pulling out of the parking lot.

She was gone…and for the first time in his entire life, Heero Yuy was powerless.


	6. They Call It Courage

-**Chapter 6**-

"_Your heart understands what your head cannot yet conceive; trust your heart."  
__- Unknown_

He left the shopping cart where it was and walked blindly to his truck, not feeling the bitter winter wind pick up and whip across his skin. Another storm was coming in, and the angry gray clouds that covered the sky seemed to the do the same to his heart. He couldn't think straight, couldn't _breathe_…all he could see was the look in her eyes as she turned away from him and walked out the door.

_She's gone. She's gone. She's gone._

The words echoed hollowly in his head.

Going after her was out of the question. She knew what she wanted, and it wasn't him.

Something had gone wrong. Somewhere it had gone awry…and the mission had failed. He had lost, been defeated. _Failed_.

And there was nothing he could do about it.

* * *

He threw himself into his work. The past three weeks he had been in the shop for his normal hours only, and even taken off a few days to spend more time with her, but now that she was gone…everything had changed. He couldn't stand being in the cabin, couldn't handle it, couldn't even tolerate seeing the lake that they had so often walked. He was a robot, a zombie, waking up at the crack of dawn to run as fast as he could the five- mile routine usually reserved for summer - and even though the temperature was close to zero degrees and snow made the road slick and slippery, he ran. Sprinted.

Then it was into town as fast as he could, away from the cabin and the lake and the once-peaceful inside of his home. Once at the garage, he holed himself up under the cars and worked until he was covered in grease and oil and looked as if he had gone weeks without a bath. He never spoke, never made a sound, just showed up, threw himself into the job, and waited until the last possible minute to leave.

That first night, driving slowly down a back street on the way home, he passed the only tavern in town. And though he had always abstained from drinking - he was too aware of what it did to one's senses and mind - he, for the first time in his life, considered drowning her memory and his misery in one long night.

The second day was hell; he forced himself to run so fast he tripped twice, cut his arm badly, and still kept going. Again, he went into work, but this time at ten o'clock at night - when he was the only worker in the building - Moore cut in and ordered him to get out of the garage. Putting in sixteen-hour days, he said, was not only insane, but unhealthy and anti-social.

Heero didn't listen, just stalked from the garage without a response.

He returned to the cabin when there was just enough moonlight to illuminate the porch where he had kissed her, only three short weeks ago. Trying not to think, to keep his mind blank and black, he stumbled into the house and slammed the door shut.

But he couldn't handle it. For some reason, the cabin that had been his life, the furniture and simple décor that had given him a kind of quiet comfort and sense of belonging over the years, meant nothing. He looked around and didn't see anything that was his; everything, somehow, related straight back to her.

He sat in the kitchen, staring at an untouched bowl of cereal with no milk, and screamed at himself mentally to just _stop_. To just _forget_ about her again, dammit -

He couldn't.

God_damn _it, he couldn't.

He never had, the past four years; she had been with him, in memory, in spirit, always there, always at the back of his mind, no matter how many times he had told himself he was over her….and now that she had been with him, now that he had touched her and felt her and smelled her and - God help him - _cared_ for her -

He could not move on.

With a single furious swing, the bowl of cereal went flying against the far wall, shattering into a thousand pieces of glass and Frosted Mini Wheats. Heero leaned over the table, his face buried in his hands, fingers entwined fiercely into his hair, and struggled to catch his breath.

But it wasn't enough. She had sat there, right across from him, and smiled that smile.

He stood up, staggered out of the kitchen like a drunk man, desperate to get away from her memory, and stumbled into the living room.

Big mistake.

She was there, too, even more so; sitting on the couch the first night and every night after that, with that sweet sparkle in her eyes and the way she looked at him, as if he were someone with a purpose, with _meaning_…

And that was where he broke.

It took a little less than a minute and a half; by the end of it, he was cut and bleeding, and the living room was almost unrecognizable. He stood in the middle of it, breathing hard and trembling, not seeing the destruction caused by his frantic hands: the shards of glass and wood, the upended furniture, and the books scattered randomly, crazily over the floor.

All of a sudden, he wanted nothing more than to crawl upstairs and retreat to the comfort of his bed, to curl up and close his eyes and welcome sleep.

But there was no way in hell he could ever go up there - not there, not that place, where he had…had comforted her, protected her…oh, God…

_Held _her.

Very slowly, he slid down to the floor amidst the ruin, his back against the couch. Trembling, struggling to catch his breath, Heero leaned over till he was curled up on the ground, and then he closed his eyes and pleaded to heaven for a peaceful sleep he knew he wouldn't receive.

* * *

When the back door clanged open at five o'clock the next morning, Moore turned a puzzled glance to his employee. Sam glanced up from where he was going over the day's jobs just in time to catch a glimpse of Heero stalking through the back garage. He looked back at Moore and remarked lightly, "Someone's cheery this morning."

Moore's eyebrows were knit together fiercely. "I don't know what his deal is. The guy is insane lately."

Sam shook his head and turned back to the computer. "Just girl trouble. Word is that Miss Sanderson finally left for home."

"I think," Moore grunted, wincing as a door slammed again somewhere in the back garage, "that when a guy works a sixteen-hour shift, three days a row, intentionally, it might be a little bit more than girl trouble."

Sam just smiled to himself.

"If you're so sure about it, smartass, go ask him what's wrong."

He turned to decline, but the look on Moore's face told him there would be no getting around this one. Feeling apprehensively like he was walking to his doom, Sam took a deep breath and ventured out into the garage.

"You know, Yuy," Sam muttered, leaning against the Civic Heero was underneath, "they say that all work and no play - "

"Shut up."

The words were thick, hard, and snapped like a whip in the emptiness of the garage. Sam's mouth closed almost audibly; Heero was usually unsocial, but this…

"Is…something wrong?" he tried again. _This would be easier if I could see the kid's face_.

"No. Go away."

Sam paused, gathering his thoughts and studying Heero's boots as if they would grant him inspiration. "Moore said," he murmured quietly, "that if you keep coming into work this much, he'll fire you."

There was a short bark of entirely humorless laughter. "Funny."

"I'm not kidding. He says it's unhealthy, and he's more concerned with your welfare than his garage. He'll help you find another job, but - "

"Bullshit."

Silence.

"Excuse me?"

"I said that's bullshit. He won't fire me."

The light faded from Sam's eyes. The kid was a ticking bomb, but right now…he didn't care.

"You know what, Yuy?" he said quietly. "You're a cocky, arrogant little bastard."

The metallic clinkings and clangings did not pause. Heero wasn't even fazed.

"I can't figure out for the life of me what she saw in you."

All of a sudden, the garage was frighteningly silent.

Swallowing, Sam steeled himself and continued, "I mean, what were you thinking? You knew she was going to leave, I could see it in your eyes, kid. And why the hell would she want to be with you? Look at you, you're this deadbeat that doesn't live for anything, doesn't have any purpose in his life except to come down here and tinker around with cars when we all know he could be working as a damn rocket scientist or at the NSA - "

He stopped. Heero was sliding out from under the car. He looked terrible; his eyes were dark and bloodshot, his hair an absolute disaster, his face gaunt, and his chin and lower cheeks dark with stubble. For a moment Sam thought he might get a little reaction, but the kid just stood up, muttered, "You don't know what you're talking about," and went to collect more tools.

"Oh, I don't?" Sam continued. He couldn't stop; he was on a roll. "I _know_ you, Yuy. You don't have any compassion for people, you don't care, you don't _feel_ - "

He didn't even see the fist before it hit; he just felt the connection, the jolt, the immediate pain.

It took a minute to see straight again, and when he could, it was to witness a white hot fury in Heero's heated blue eyes that Sam never wanted to see again.

"I have felt," Heero hissed fiercely, each word ringing with unhindered rage, "more deeply for her than you could comprehend."

"I don't think you did, Yuy," Sam shot back, his voice shaky from the pain in his jaw. Heero turned and walked the other way. "I _don't think_ you did. Because if you did, you'd realize something about her. She's this gorgeous, brilliant, caring, one-in-a-hundred-million girl, and for some crazy reason in this crazy stupid universe, she goddamn _saw_ something in you."

Heero's body went still as ice.

"Do you _hear _me?" Sam pressed, his voice low, fast, and dangerous. "She saw something in you, Yuy! Heaven only knows what, but she looked past all your arrogant, cocky, antisocial _shit_ and she _saw something_. And you're gonna throw that all away?"

Silence.

"I don't know what happened to make her leave, but if it was something you did, you sure as hell don't deserve her anymore."

Nothing moved - except for Heero's body, which was shaking almost imperceptibly.

"But -" Sam continued. "_But_, if it was something else - if someone or something, from somewhere, convinced her to leave, then you might still have a _sliver_ of a chance."

Silence.

"So what are you _doing_ here, Yuy? Tell me. Why do you just keep coming into work here, barging around like a tornado, blasting anyone who has the kindness, not to mention bravery, to ask you what's wrong? _Tell_ me, Heero, why the hell haven't you thrown everything you call comfortable away and shot off this mountain to get her back?"

There was a very, very long quiet, and then Heero mumbled, his voice rocky, "I don't deserve her."

Sam drew a breath, and then reached forward, placed his hands on Heero's shoulders, and spun him around to look him full-on in the face.

"If you think that," he said slowly, "then you better ask her to make sure. Because I have witnessed the way she looks at you, you idiot, and I've seen the way you look right back at her, and I am standing here telling you that this is one of those things that are change-who-you-are, happen-once-in-a-lifetime. If you don't leave now, you are going to _lose her_, and then you are going to spend the rest of your life in regret."

And with that, Sam turned on his heel and left the room.

Heero was left in dead silence, staring around the empty garage that held nothing for him. His heart was begging with him, pleading with him to go, to try, to just _see_ her again…but his mind was stubbornly singing the old mantra.

_You don't deserve her…she chose him over you…you lost…you _failed.

But then his eyes rested on something in the back corner of the garage, and Heero took a few steps forward to see it clearly.

It was her Carrera; shining, polished to a sheer gleam, and in absolutely perfect condition…as it had been -

- for two weeks.

She had been here, had walked around the garage, laughing and joking with the workers, and as a result must have seen it, must have _known_…

He had never realized…

Heero had thought the only thing keeping her there was her broken car, and he had never told her it was fixed; he couldn't bear to see her leave. He had never caught on that she already knew.

_She could've left at any second…and she knew it._

_And…she had stayed._

God.

Something else had kept her there…and it wasn't the blond man with the Gucci suit and the Ferrari. It wasn't the pretty town, the clean mountain air, or the people…because she had stayed with him, in an old cabin in the middle of nowhere…

_Oh God_.

And he had forgotten, somehow, in the midst of the _happiness_ that had been on her face and the peace he felt with her…he had forgotten those first two days, that night when she had woken up screaming, terrified… The bruises had faded, along with the shadows in her eyes, and he had gone right along with it, forgetting about the question that had plagued him those first forty-eight hours.

Someone had hurt her.

God, someone had _hurt_ her.

And that man, in the grocery store, had brought that look of terror back into her blue eyes - a terror that he hadn't seen in her since the night she had had the nightmare.

His blood turned to ice at the same time his heart began pounding. His work entirely forgotten, Heero turned and snatched up his things before racing straight out the front door to his truck.

* * *

As the door slammed shut, Moore turned an inquisitive look towards Sam. "Holy shit," he said, an approving note in his voice, "what the hell did you say to the kid?"

Sam shrugged, gingerly rubbing his sore jaw as Heero's truck flew out of the parking lot. "Just riled him up a bit."

"What _was_ it?" Moore asked, staring in astonishment at the spot where the truck had been.

The worker gave a quiet smile as he turned back towards his work, murmuring, "Nothing much…just, you know, a little bit of girl trouble."

* * *

The truck's wheels slid dangerously on the ice as he turned sharply onto the highway, and several cars nearby honked in protest. The noises barely reached his ears as he pressed on the accelerator, urging the machine to move faster. It was as if he could see the shadow of that Ferrari on the horizon, just barely out of reach.

It didn't even occur to him that he hadn't been off the mountain in four years; didn't cross his mind that he had sworn never to see the city again. He didn't remember that he had been declared AWOL from the Preventers, didn't plan out what he was going to say when he saw those people he called his friends for the first time in half a decade.

All he saw was her face, those bruises on her shoulder, and the way she looked when she was lying in his arms. For a minute he felt a sharp pang of regret that he hadn't remembered sooner, but it quickly melted away into a lethal, deadly determination.

He had messed up. He had let her go.

But by God, he wasn't going to let her go far.

* * *

Late the next morning - after driving almost straight through the night, stopping only for a brief half-hour rest - Heero steered onto the freeway that would take him back to the city. Only a few hours away now, he began to feel a twinge of apprehension in the pit of his stomach; after being away for so long, who knew what he would encounter in the city?

He shook his head grimly. It didn't matter, as long as he found her.

But still, the silence seemed to be pressing down on him. For the past twenty-four hours he had driven in quiet, listening to the sound of the truck on the road, paying strict attention to the surroundings…but now he was getting a little edgy. And calm was important; he needed to calm down.

And so, just as he began driving into the outer skirts of downtown, he flipped on the radio.

Country, country, rap, oldies…nothing there of interest. He tuned it to talk radio and caught the last bit of the announcer's sentence:

"…must say, it _is_ quite the match."

"A bit cliché, perhaps," the other host commented thoughtfully. "The prince and princess of equal wealth and status riding off into the sunset. But I suppose it isn't always opposites that attract."

"True, true. But you know, Tom, I really think it's time both of them settled down, took a breather, had the time and freedom to really develop their relationship."

"Yeah, what with the Foreign Minister having been gone for almost a month now, there must've been a pile of work waiting for her when she got home."

Heero's hands were gripping the steering wheel far more tightly than normal. They were talking about her.

"And we'll be discussing that a bit later on in the show, for all those who are curious as to Miss Peacecraft's condition - we'd just like to repeat that she returned home about three days ago now, and that she is safe and unharmed. There have been few details released, but a bit later in the show we'll share what we've learned from a personal call with Derek Tannon himself."

The name sounded vaguely familiar, but before Heero could even begin searching his memory for the answer, it was given to him:

"Mr. Tannon, heir to the Tannon Industries multi-billion-dollar fortune, of course, has been listed for the past four years as the number one wealthiest man under thirty in the world - not only that, he's also called one of today's politicians who will change the face of our world. I don't have to tell you that this guy's got it all; he's one of those rare people that don't have to be in movies or music to be an idol. We're talking the cover of GQ, appearances at every award show and premiere - teenage girls are abandoning rock concerts and going to Senate meetings just to see him. He's brilliant, good-looking, charismatic - honestly, what's not to love?"

"If you don't be careful, Alana," the announcer laughed, "we might have to let the Foreign Minister know that she has competition."

Heero's head was spinning.

"I'm just setting the stage, Tom," the female host retorted. "Just providing a bit of background to illuminate my earlier point that Miss Peacecraft does have a fairytale life."

"How do you suppose that? She's been kidnapped, chased, threatened - "

"She's gorgeous, she's rich, she's kind, the people love her, the men love her, and she's engaged to an equally gorgeous, rich, kind man."

The truck suddenly swerved as Heero's body jerked in his seat; he lost control and the vehicle skidded through two lanes until finally hitting the shoulder, where he could grab the wheel and screech to a stop.

_Holy shit._

She was engaged.

How long had _this_ been going on? Where had he _been_? You would've thought that some news, some sort of clue, _some_thing would've hinted at this, but…there was nothing.

They were still talking. The rush of passing traffic was almost deafening, but he didn't care. As much as Heero wanted to bash the radio in and shut up those hosts, he was frozen in his seat. He couldn't see, couldn't think, couldn't _breathe_ - all that existed were those voices, those voices that just kept talking…

" - really quite fitting, if you think about it; I mean, her career has taken off these past four years, since her monumental decision to keep the identity of the Gundam pilots unknown. We've seen her grow in so many ways, watched as she, a single young woman, has braved the ferocity and fury of notable male leaders from around the world. She's no longer the idealistic teenager that first emerged as a leader those years ago; we have to really give her credit, Tom. She has matured before our eyes."

"That is certainly true, Alana. For those of you just tuning it, we're discussing the hottest news out there right now; the recent engagement of Foreign Minister Relena Peacecraft to the billionaire Derek Tannon…"

She was engaged.

She was engaged.

She was going to _get married_.

Had she been taken the entire time she was at his cabin?

"…news reports from an inside source at the Peacecraft Estate say that last night, after spending a very romantic dinner together, Miss Peacecraft and Mr. Tannon retired to the third-floor ballroom balcony to do a little stargazing, and it is there that the most eligible bachelor in the world popped the question. Our source said she hasn't gotten a chance to see Relena yet, but Mr. Tannon appears ecstatic."

"With good reason, Alana. Such a compatible - "

Heero could not move. The announcer's voice dulled to a low murmur as two words reverberated in his head over and over again:

_Last night…last night…last night…last night._

This guy had proposed less than fifteen hours ago.

_Oh, God, _Heero thought. _If I had left just one day earlier_…

One day.

All the determination to get to her was very quickly leaking away. What was the _use_, now? If he had thought she was gone before, he had had no idea how right he really was. She had a _ring on her finger_. And the man she had chosen was rich, and sociable, someone you can present in a crowded ballroom and not be ashamed of…

…and all this, Heero knew he wasn't.

He lifted a hand to the blinker and began to flip a U-turn, his body still numb, when suddenly the announcer's voice hit his ears again -

"…and in the personal call with Derek Tannon himself, we learned that, just as rumored, Miss Peacecraft, indeed, _was_ abducted."

Heero slammed on the brakes. _What?_

"The nation has been in chaos for the past three weeks, wondering if our Foreign Minister had simply abandoned her post, but in our hearts we knew we were wrong: I repeat, it has been reported that Relena Peacecraft was abducted somewhere in the northern mountains. Investigators at this point have not released a suspect name, but we do know one thing: that Derek Tannon, in his frantic search to find the woman he loved, saved her from this abductor. We're hearing that he traveled north…"

A flood of rage suddenly blasted through Heero, hot and furious. They were saying that he _kidnapped_ her? And that the Gucci-clad blond had _saved_ her from him?

There was no way. No way.

And _that_ was so twisted, so messed up, that before the car behind him could catch it, Heero had swerved, wrenched his truck around, and was heading in the other direction yet again.

He didn't know what was going on. But he knew one thing: Relena would never create such a lie. Not about him. Not about what had happened between them.

And his previous suspicions were confirmed: something was amiss.

So even if she didn't want him anymore, he would complete the original mission.

He would make sure she was safe. He would protect her…no matter the enemy. Not even a filthy rich, overwhelmingly perfect politician. It was just that…none of those enemies in the past had wielded such a powerful weapon as a wedding ring…a ring that matched the one on Relena's left hand.

It was a weapon against which he had no idea how to fight back.


	7. What You Believe

-**Chapter 7**-

"_Heroes often go unsung_."

"I'm just saying, it's odd of her to avoid details like this."

Duo Maxwell looked across the expansive kitchen of the Peacecraft estate to meet his wife's gaze. "Hun," he said mildly, "maybe she just doesn't want to tell us."

"I don't know why she _wouldn't_," Hilde replied shortly, sending her husband a Look. "If it was as traumatic for her as Derek said, I just think she would be pouring it out to us. Relena's not the kind of person to hide when she has problems; she'd always let us know. Right?"

She looked around the room for approval from the six other people in the kitchen. They were sitting at Relena's informal dining table, each clutching a cup of coffee or tea and looking rather tired. They had been up late the night before, celebrating with Relena.

"I think I agree," Sally Po murmured, looking into her coffee mug. "She's been very open about Derek. And she doesn't hesitate to say when she has a bad day…she just…doesn't have a lot of them."

"I still can't believe they're engaged," came a soft voice from down at the other end. Catherine Bloom was smiling a little as she traced circles with her finger on the table surface. "I'm so happy for her."

Quatre Winner lifted his head and smiled, too. "We all are. She's finally found the happiness we all know she deserves."

Here, Hilde opened her mouth to say something, then shut it again. Duo, his eye on her, prompted, "What?"

"Nothing. Nothing."

"Hilde, babe, what?"

"I think," interjected Trowa Barton quietly, watching Hilde with his scrutinizing green eyes, "that even though it's true Relena found the happiness we know she deserved…it isn't the happiness we all expected."

A brief silence took hold over the table, as only Trowa had had the courage to voice what they were all thinking.

"I guess life just doesn't turn out how we plan it," Sally murmured quietly.

"It doesn't turn out how we want it to, either." That was Wufei, ever the optimist.

Sally shot him a look. "Hey, now. If they're engaged, they obviously want each other."

"Especially," added Catherine, "since he's practically the most eligible man in the entire world, not to mention her rescuer."

At that, Hilde heaved a sigh. "I _really _wish she'd tell us what happened. It just bugs me not knowing where she's _been_ the past three weeks. I mean, honestly: she couldn't have been by herself!"

"Even if she was abducted?"

"Especially if she was abducted! She would have to have _some_ idea about her captors. Derek isn't saying anything except that she is just brainwashed from the whole thing, and Relena won't even talk about it, and I just have this feeling that wherever she was, it was something big, and she was _with_ someone big, someone like a huge dictator or mob leader or angry war veteran or - holy shit."

Six heads around the table looked up at Hilde in surprise. She was staring at the doorway of the kitchen, her eyes wide and her expression one of complete shock.

"Or Heero Yuy," she finished, in a whisper.

They whirled around. Heero was, indeed, standing in the doorway to the kitchen, looking haggard and unshaven and weary, but his eyes ablaze with a white hot flame.

"Heero!" Duo said, shocked. "She was with _you_, wasn't she? Damn, buddy, welcome back."

* * *

Ten minutes later saw the same group of seven people, now eight including Heero, grouped in the living room, coffee and conversation all but forgotten. They had been chattering simultaneously, bombarding Heero with questions of all sorts, astonished that after four years he had just walked right into the Peacecraft mansion as if nothing was amiss.

Duo hadn't shut his mouth the entire ten minutes.

" - last time we were there, and told me you'd sworn never to come back! I honestly thought we'd never see you down here ever again - "

"Unless," interjected Hilde excitedly, "something happened to Relena - "

"I just never thought you'd count a wedding as something you'd want to attend," Quatre added, smiling.

"Especially Relena's," Wufei noted dryly.

"I'm not here for the wedding," Heero finally managed to say. They fell silent and looked at him in surprise; one, because of what he said, and two, because of how he said it. The old Heero, the stoic, unfeeling block of ice that had left four years ago, was…gone. Or buried. The man standing in this room with them was still as solid and dark as he had ever been, but in his voice resonated a strange reserve of subtle warmth, an undercurrent of _feeling_.

In their surprised silence, Heero asked quietly, "Where is she?"

Hilde was the first to speak. She was more than a little dumbfounded, having finally come to the realization that Heero must have returned for a very serious reason. The look in his normally blank eyes wasn't exactly what she'd call love…in fact, it was more like worry. "She's with Derek," Hilde answered.

Heero's eyes immediately darkened. "I need to see her."

"She's with Derek," Hilde repeated, exchanging glances with her husband. "They were going to breakfast this morning, and then to drive around the old part of town to look at churches…"

"What time will they return?" Heero cut her off curtly.

Sally was watching his face carefully. "We don't know, Heero. We don't keep tabs on a grown woman and her fiancée."

Abruptly, Heero turned and began to stalk out of the room.

"What - where are you going?" Duo called, following him.

Heero shot back bluntly, "To find her."

"Like hell you are."

Every person in the room froze. There were footsteps on the stairs leading into the living room, and as Heero turned around, he met a pair of cold ice-blue eyes.

"Zechs."

Relena's brother entered the room, as imperialistic and imposing as a king, his mouth in a straight, severe line and his eyes shooting daggers in Heero's direction.

"Yuy," he said, spitting the word as if it were poison, "I see you've decided to grace us with your presence."

Heero didn't move an inch; he merely stared at Zechs, the Prussian blue eyes as cool and calm as Death himself. Relena's brother returned the glare as he said, his voice stinging with icy animosity, "I don't know where you've come from, but you're going back before Relena gets here. She has enough to worry about without you and your twisted head messing around with her life."

"I'm not leaving."

Zechs opened his mouth to shoot back a reply, when a slim hand grasped his arm and the attractive dark-haired head of his wife, Lucrezia, appeared. She glanced at her husband's countenance, and then studied Heero's expression with a gaze that sliced right through his outer façade.

"You're here for a reason," she said quietly, taking a few steps forward to come closer to Heero. "Why, Heero?"

Because the peril that was Zechs had calmed considerably upon Lucrezia's arrival, Heero let the Death Glare drop and instead focused on the slender woman watching him so searchingly. His brow furrowed and his eyes narrowed when he spoke quietly, "She's in danger."

Immediately, Zechs scoffed in derision. "You've got to be kidding me. You came all the way down here to tell us that my sister is in danger when you've been out of the security loop for four years? You don't think we have it covered down here? Despite what you may think, Yuy, there are other men who can handle the job of protecting the Foreign Minister, and they can do it just as well as you did. Perhaps better," Zechs added icily, "since they would never, in a million years, abandon their post and disappear."

Lucrezia turned a disapproving gaze on her husband as Sally ventured quietly, "Perhaps Heero has discovered something the Preventer's security force couldn't see."

"Nonsense," Zechs retorted. "This is the single best security force the world has ever seen. There is no way anyone or anything could - "

"It isn't external."

At those words, Lucrezia's gaze darted sharply to Heero. "What?" she breathed.

"It's from the inside."

The other pilots exchanged glances, and Quatre was the first to ask: "How far?"

"As far as it could go," Heero responded grimly.

Lucrezia's dark eyes were searching Heero's again, leaving him feeling almost naked. The woman gave the eerie impression of being able to see straight through his defenses to every secret thought and feeling he possessed. "Who is it, Heero?" she murmured.

He didn't waste words. "Tannon."

There was a moment's utterly stunned silence, and then Zechs gave a bark of laughter. "What?" he cried. "Is this your idea of a sick joke, Yuy? You honestly think - "

"Heero," Hilde cut in, "Derek would never - "

"He's her fiancé, there's no way he'd - " Quatre added.

" - all people. Come on, they're so in love it's sick."

At those words, Heero went visibly still. His body never moved an inch, but his dark eyes flickered around the room, studying the faces of those people who had once been, and possibly still were, his friends. His gaze landed on Zechs, a longtime rival and thorn in his side, and the blond General arched an eyebrow.

"I don't know what you're trying to do, Yuy, but the last thing Relena needs right now is your interference. She's engaged to be married, she's happy, and I'm not going to allow your senseless paranoia to screw that up. This will not be a repeat of the last time."

No one spoke. The ice-blue-eyed General, standing severely in his uniform, clean-cut and the quintessence of gallantry, contrasted so sharply with Heero's darker image, with his tousled brown hair and unshaven face. Zechs stood erect, confident in his every move, with the poise and grace of a gentleman; Heero was much more shadowy, catlike, more stealthy and enigmatic. The two men stood glaring at each other, as different as day and night, light and dark, like a noble king standing across from a black-clothed assassin. But somehow, there was a difference in each of their eyes; Zechs, who was normally extremely fair and even merciful, was glowering so angrily at Heero that it was out of character. And Heero, whose eyes were customarily devoid of any expression, almost seemed to be…desperate.

In the silence, Heero slowly strode over to Zechs until the two men were face-to-face, eye-to-eye, just inches from each other. His voice was low and grating when he said, "Zechs, Derek Tannon is dangerous. She can't marry him." He paused, the words evidently hard to say: "I need you to believe me."

If looks could kill, Heero would've been a human shish kabob about five minutes previous. Now, Zechs's entire countenance was almost burning with fury. "Like hell I will."

Heero's hands clenched into fists. "He's beating her, Zechs."

The General's eyes narrowed immediately, his upper lip curling in a snarl. "You pathetic piece of shit. You actually have the audacity to come to tell me that my sister's fiancé is _abusing_ her?" His voice was rising by the second. "You don't think I haven't had him checked? You don't think I've kept as close a watch on her as I possibly can? I've _had_ to, Yuy, since you tore her heart out four years ago and left her crying herself to sleep at nights."

Heero's mouth had been open, some opposing argument prepared and ready, but at those words, it snapped shut and his body went rigid.

Zechs paused in his tirade, then hissed, "And you had no idea. You low-lying asshole, you brought her world down around her, and then just when she finds the strength to build it back up, you come back to start the pattern all over again."

Heero was silent.

"I want you to leave, Yuy. I don't want you here, where she'll see you and be reminded of the darker days of her life. I want you out of this house. Now."

Luckily, before the two men could go at each other's necks, Lucrezia placed a calming hand on her husband's arm and said quietly, "Zechs, I don't believe Heero would come down here without some way to validate his claim." She turned her piercing eyes on the dark-haired pilot, and inquired, "Have you any proof, Heero?"

He found a strange sort of calming peace in Lucrezia's stare, and found the stability to murmur to her, "She's been with me the past three weeks."

Glances were exchanged all around the room, and Zechs's reaction was instantaneous. His eyes narrowed sharply and his hands clenched once again as he spat, "She was with _you_? _You_ kidnapped her? So help me God, I'm going to rip - " Zechs's fist flew faster than anyone else in the room could catch, but Heero dodged at the last second and grabbed it in a vicelike grip.

"I didn't kidnap her," Heero hissed, low and hard. "I would _never_ kidnap her."

And though Zechs would never trust a word Heero said, there was something in those tempest-tossed dark eyes that spoke the truth. Zechs relaxed his fist, shaking slightly with anger. "Then how, goddamn it, did she end up spending three weeks alone with _you_?"

"Zechs." Lucrezia's voice cut in, calm and stern, and the General relaxed slightly. She turned her composed gaze to Heero, and he told her, "I was living in a town in the mountains. She was driving, her car broke down on the highway, and she came to the garage where I work."

One dark eyebrow raised in question. "It took three weeks to fix her car?"

Heero didn't respond, and Lucrezia's mouth twitched in suppressing a smile. "I see." Then her face sobered, and she murmured, "Why do you think she's being abused?"

"She was terrified to go home, terrified when someone touched her, terrified to sleep alone at nights…and had bruises on her upper body."

Zechs face paled considerably. "_What_ did you just say?" he hissed.

Heero glanced at the General, his eyes full of sarcasm. "Her shoulder, Zechs."

"If you - " Zechs growled.

"I didn't," Heero cut him off.

Hilde interrupted the conversation by saying quietly, "I just can't believe Relena would just drive away. I mean, she has no reason to, she's getting married and she's happy and - "

"And I've never noticed any bruises," said Sally, her eyebrows knitted together with worry.

"Heero," Lucrezia said quietly, "perhaps you're just worried about her in general, and you're jumping to conclusions?"

The dark, disheveled pilot was silent, his eyes and face void of any emotion. Lucrezia sighed, and then said, "Well, bring in your things. There's a guest room upstairs where you can stay."

"He's not staying - " Zechs snapped, and then his wife turned her gaze to look her husband in the face.

"Heero is a guest," she said firmly, "and he's had a long trip. He will stay in one of the second-floor guestrooms, and he's welcome to any and all facilities we have to offer."

"Lu - " Zechs began, but his wife had turned to face Heero, who was shaking his head. "What?" she asked.

"I'm not staying," Heero said flatly. "I'm going to find Relena."

"No, you're not. She's out with her fiancé, she'll be back later today, and then you can talk to her. Until then, Heero, relax and get some sleep. You look exhausted."

And though Lucrezia was probably half his size and certainly no match for his strength or skills, Heero found the commanding power in her eyes too large a foe for him to handle at the minute.

* * *

Heero had never had such a long day in his entire life. He carried what few belongings he had brought upstairs to the guest room, and then spent the next six hours wandering aimlessly around the large space, staring at everything and noticing nothing, lost in his thoughts and his unending worry and the heavy thudding of his heart.

He didn't know what he had expected in coming down here; he thought it must have been that he just believed he would find Relena right away, pick her up and stuff her back in the truck, and take off. And that would be the end of that. But he wasn't that much of a glutton for trouble and he definitely wasn't that stupid. Yet nowhere on his list of what to do to get Relena back did it mention sitting on his ass in an empty room in a house full of people who didn't believe him. All the same, he knew there would be little to gain in storming after her during the day; none of his extensive training had prepared him for a battle against an enemy such as this. Despite the frustration of doing nothing, Heero's intuition was telling him to wait – that it was more important to bide his time and carefully select the most opportune moment of attack.

Maybe they thought he was crazy. Maybe they thought he was insane, maybe…he didn't know what to think. It was so obvious to him: Relena was in danger, and no one else saw it. He was the only one to realize what was, to him, so plainly written in her body language and her eyes and her voice…and he had only _really_ known her for the past three weeks. The people here had lived with her the entire four years he had been away…and they themselves had no idea.

At about two thirty that afternoon, Lucrezia knocked softly on his door. He opened it, and met her intelligent dark eyes and an invitation to a light lunch downstairs. Part of him wanted to stay in the room and be alone, to avoid speaking with those people who weren't helping him save Relena, but the other part of him realized what an idiot the opposing half was being. He nodded once and followed Zechs's wife down to the kitchen.

He sat down in the kitchen, and took the plate Lucrezia offered him with a nod of gratitude. He could hear the others in the living room next door, eating from their own plates and laughing over some joke Duo was loudly sharing. They had forgotten about him, forgotten about his entire reason for being there…

…Heero had never felt so alone in his life.

Lucrezia asked if he wanted to join them, but he shook his head, preferring to spend his time alone in the kitchen. And so he ate in silence, in solitude.

Heero was lost in his own thoughts and uncharacteristically unaware, and that was why he didn't hear the front door open or an unfamiliar male voice join the conversation. He did, however, catch the name that Hilde and Sally both cried in unison: "Relena!"

He froze. She was there. And he was on _her_ territory…and the enemy's, too.

Derek Tannon's deep, resonant voice sounded throughout the room, laughing at a joke he had probably told himself, Heero thought bitterly. He stood, the lunch forgotten, and slowly made his way to the doorway. His body was on high-alert mode, because even though he was in the safest house in probably the entire galaxy, surrounded by the best soldiers known to mankind, he was in the presence of the greatest enemy he had ever encountered.

He came around the corner to stand in the doorway, and because of the way the room was organized, no one saw him. Tannon had his left side to Heero, talking to all the occupants of the room, and Relena was standing a little behind him, holding a few large shopping bags and wearing a very elegant, very expensive-looking outfit. Her hair was curled, her nails and makeup done, and suddenly Heero felt so inferior. There she was, the goddess, the beauty, the Foreign Minister and the most famous woman alive, in luxuriant clothes and luxuriant surroundings…just as it should be. She belonged here, in her mansion, not in some rundown cabin or some provincial, dirty mountain town.

But as he stared at her, he began to see past the Chanel outfit, the Hermes satchel, and the Louboutins on her feet. He looked through the perfect makeup, the almost-royal poise, and saw somewhere in there the Relena he knew and the world had no idea existed. He saw her with her hair loose and messy, dressed in simple jeans and a sweater, the barest traces of makeup on her face as she laughed with him in the snow. And in seeing her this way, the carefree, _real_ version of Relena, he also saw what none of the others in the room could. Here in this city, this house, something was, indeed, very wrong with her.

" - and the other day, what, Friday? Hilde and I were driving to the movies, you know, and Kai was with the babysitter, and the truck ahead of us just…" Duo was saying to Derek, who had a perfect grin on his face and was nodding like they were best friends. There was an undercurrent in what Duo was saying, though - the braided pilot was a little too careful for normalcy. He was uncomfortable around Derek, and Heero might've noticed that…

If he hadn't been studying Relena. He couldn't take his eyes off of her; it blew his mind how blatantly obvious the signs were. They were there, everywhere, in the little things, the _tiny_ things, but _so obvious_ -

The room erupted into laughter, and Derek immediately picked up with another story -

- but Heero watched Relena. And he saw, that as her friends laughed, she gave a little smile…and that was it. That was not her. Relena, the Relena he knew and had held for three weeks, would have burst out into peals of almost childlike laughter, would have grinned with a million rays of sunlight. She would never have stood behind Derek as she was standing now, so _submissively._

No. This was all wrong. This was not Relena. This was a small, scared little girl hiding in Relena's body.

Derek was grinning as he was talking, and when he began relating their shopping experiences that afternoon, reached an arm back to slither around Relena's shoulders. And though she smiled a little bit, Heero caught it - that flash in her eyes, the way she was immediately on edge.

He was right. He was so right it was killing him. This man was hurting her, and it was _killing_ him that he couldn't murder the bastard that second.

Heero might've done something then, if there hadn't been a sudden awkward pause in the conversation, and then Derek said a little uneasily, "Is everything all right? Everyone's acting just a little weird tonight…"

The pilots exchanged glances, silent, and then Duo's gaze suddenly found Heero in the doorway. "Hey, Re," Duo said, much too seriously for his character, "you've got a visitor."

She turned to look where he was staring, and froze.

Their eyes met, and though Heero kept his face very carefully impassive, he let his eyes show her everything he was feeling. Her sapphire gaze was filled with hundreds of conflicting emotions; he saw surprise, and then a brief flash of joy, and then countless others before the blue eyes held nothing but fear and the slightest hint of relief.

_Damn it_, Heero thought to himself angrily, _I was right. Why don't they _see_ it?_

"Hello, Heero," Relena murmured. Heero did not respond, just watched silently as Tannon's hands came up to rest on her shoulders. A flash of memory shot through his mind - porcelain skin interrupted by an angry patch of black-and-blue - and a burning hatred for the man filled his being. He nodded once to Relena, and would've spoken some greeting if Tannon had not interrupted.

"I'm sorry – you look familiar, but I don't believe we've met," he said, a little too loudly, stepping forward with his arm still around Relena and one hand outstretched. "Derek Tannon," he said, showing off a perfect set of even white teeth in a disarming grin. "Of Tannon Industries."

"I know who you are," Heero stated, his arms at his sides. Lucrezia cast a disapproving glance in his direction, but there was no way in hell Heero was going to shake that hand.

"Well - " Tannon seemed dryly amused. "Pleasure to meet you too." He turned back to the people gathered in the living room, and said, "Thanks for letting me steal Relena for the day." He turned, and in one fluid movement, kissed Relena on the lips and grabbed his coat. Heero felt something very cold and very hard clench his insides in a fist, and then watched as the young billionaire gave his fiancé a quick hug. He murmured, "I'll pick you up around six, darling," and then he was gone.

* * *

It turned out that Tannon and his fiancé were having dinner at a five-star restaurant with his mother, and apparently Relena needed three hours to get ready. Despite his best efforts to gain a few moments alone with her, Relena's schedule allowed her no extra time, and she seemed to be avoiding him. _Three and a half hours? _ Heero stomped back and forth at the bottom of the stairs, cursing the female race and the mind-boggling amount of time they 'needed' to prepare for a stupid dinner at a stupid restaurant with an equally stupid billionaire…

Duo sat in a nearby armchair, flipping through magazines and television stations and every so often throwing out comments that might coax Heero into sitting down. By the time six o'clock rolled around, Heero looked worse than ever and was stretched nearly to breaking point.

"Buddy, look, the girls are all up there helping Relena and that means you're gonna know when they're coming down, because it's going to be all shrieks and squeals and whatnot…"

Heero didn't even blink an eyelash.

"Besides, dude, what are you really planning on doing? She's going on a date with her fiancé, Heero - "

"Goddamn it, Duo, I_ know_," Heero snapped, running a hand through his hair.

Pause. "Sorry."

Silence.

Then -

"Hilde, if you could just help me with this stupid bobby pin so this piece will stay - "

There was a bit of laughter and some talking, and then Relena rounded the corner upstairs, and Heero was struck dumb.

She was dressed up and definitely ready for a dinner at a high-end restaurant, and she was gorgeous…but she wasn't nearly as beautiful as the Relena who had slept in his arms, with the tousled hair and jeans and very little makeup. She still, however, took his breath away. Clad in a black one-shoulder dress that ended just above her knees, with a modest cut, and yet curvy and clingy enough to attract every male's eye…Relena was something out of a very expensive dream. Her hair was swept loosely up, her makeup was glamorous and trendy, her jewelry tasteful and simple...complete with that 11-carat, princess-cut-set-on-platinum diamond ring on her finger. Heero stood at the bottom of the stairs and stared…and at the top, Relena saw him standing there and froze, too.

He never heard Tannon come in, but he felt it when the billionaire - clad in an Armani tuxedo - bumped into him from the side, using the element of surprise to knock him off balance enough to get out of the way. "Ahh, darling," Tannon said smoothly, extending a hand to Relena. "You look exquisite." As Relena continued down the stairs, Tannon turned his head and muttered under his breath to Heero in a very different tone, "_Get away from her, asshole_."

Startled into silence, Heero didn't move as the slime kissed Relena for added effect, and then they were gone, out the door and into the night…and she never once looked at him.

* * *

Five hours later, Duo was sitting in the kitchen with Heero, trying very hard to calm his 'buddy' down. Heero was exhausted, not having slept in hours, but absolutely refused to sit down. He would not move, he snapped, until Relena was home and safe.

Duo sighed into his second cup of coffee. "You know what, buddy, I know what's bugging you, but you really could sit down - "

"No, you don't, Duo," Heero snapped, running a hand through his already tousled hair. "You don't. I don't know why you all are hiding this so much. You have to see exactly what I see - "

"And what is that, Heero?" Duo sighed again.

Heero glared at him. "You see it. The way his hands are all over her. He's always touching her."

"They're engaged."

"She doesn't want him, Duo. She hates him."

"They're _engaged_! Heero, I don't know what the hell has gotten into you - "

"Do you think I'm crazy?" Heero growled.

The braided pilot shook his head slowly. "Just…jealous."

Heero stopped his pacing and said in a deadly tone, "What."

"I just think that you've finally realized how much you…" Here Duo glanced at Heero's face, thought better of what he was going to say, and hurriedly covered with - " _care_ for Relena, and you're…jealous because someone got to her first. It's really easy, when you're jealous about something like this, to imagine or exaggerate things. I'm just sayin', Heero…"  
Heero glared at Duo for one long minute, and then, without speaking, resumed his pacing.

"I just think," Duo ventured, "that you're kinda panicking now that she's getting hitched and all, and you're trying to think of a way to get her back, and - "

Just then, Lucrezia passed through the kitchen with a few dirty plates. Heero immediately turned to face her and said, "Have you heard from Relena?"

Lucrezia shot him a look, but said, "Yes, I have, actually. She called me to ask about something at work, and mentioned that they were going to stop by Derek's house and then she would be home."

"When was this?" Heero snapped.

Lucrezia sent him another look, and didn't answer. Visibly tensing his muscles, Heero attempted to soften his tone and repeated, more quietly, "When was this?"

"About an hour ago. He doesn't live far from here, they should be home any minute - "

And then, suddenly, the phone rang.

Heero felt it immediately. He knew it. He _knew_ what was coming. And that was why, as he watched Lucrezia walk to the kitchen phone, he couldn't believe that she wasn't dashing to get to it faster. He watched as she picked it up and smiled as she said "Hello," and then, his heart slowing to a very, very dull beat, watched as her skin grew ashen.

And _he knew_.

Duo saw the look on his friend's face, and whirled around in alarm. He saw no invaders, no intruders, and no bombs - just Lucrezia, standing very still and listening very intently, and then he heard her say:

"Oh, God…what happened?...oh my God…oh my…how - how bad is she?"

Duo stood up very, very slowly, all humor disappearing from his cobalt eyes.

Heero didn't realize that he was holding his breath, and that his heart had all but stopped beating.

Lucrezia's normally composed face crumpled as she sank into the nearest chair, and she breathed, "Oh, God…what hospital?...Banner Baywood?…oh, no…no, I don't know…I don't - "

There was a bang that echoed throughout the entire house. Heero was gone.


	8. In Return

**:) missed y'all.**

* * *

**When Opportunity Knocks**

-**Chapter 8**-

"_Nothing hurts worse than the pain of knowing you're right for each other…but not right now."_

The emergency ward doors of Banner Baywood City Hospital hadn't seen much use in the past week; there had been few serious cases and most of the patients had been elderly men and women there for their regular checkups. The nurse at the front desk, a petite redhead in her mid twenties, was yawning at her post, flicking glances at the clock, when suddenly the doors blasted open with a furious bang. Before she could comprehend what was happening, there was a man at her desk, dark and wild-looking, with deep blue eyes glaring daggers at her.

She gulped visibly. "Can…I…hel - "

"Relena Peacecraft," he snapped, fire blazing in his eyes and voice, "where is she?"

The nurse's mouth dropped in surprise. "Relena Peacecraft is _here_?"

Heero's hand gripped the countertop in an effort to contain his impatience. "Tell me where she is."

Shocked, the nurse typed the name into her computer, attempting to regain some composure as she studied the database on the screen. Finally, she asked, "Are you – family, sir?"

The glare intensified. "No. Where is she?"

"Well - she's in the emergency room, sir, but I can't let you - "

He whirled and began to walk away, and somehow calling after him didn't seem like such a good idea.

At that moment, the door burst open again, and a flurry of people tumbled into the hospital, all wearing the same frantic, worried expression - though none as frightening as the first. They caught sight of the dark-haired man, and one of them called, "Heero! Where is she?"

"ER," he growled, and they took off after him.

Feeling completely out of control of the situation, the nurse cried after them, "Wait! Only family is allowed - !"

They were already gone.

* * *

By the time Heero rounded the corner towards the emergency room, the rest of the group had caught up with him. Everyone was talking at once, asking questions of Lucrezia and Heero – the only two who seemed to have any idea what was going on – but Heero was oblivious to their voices. He was focused on one sole objective: finding Relena.

However, as they turned again and suddenly found themselves directly outside the room, Heero stopped short – and the rest of the pilots and their wives followed suit, narrowly avoiding running into the Perfect Soldier from behind. The ER was just ahead, beyond a closed door but visible through large windows that looked into the area. And there, seated on a chair just outside of the main door, was Derek Tannon.

The blond billionaire looked up at the commotion and, upon recognizing Relena's friends, gave a tired and relieved smile. He stood quickly, saying, "Thank God you're here, I didn't know who – "

"What did you do to her, Tannon?" Heero's voice cracked like a whip across the hallway.

There was a short, stunned silence from the group, before Hilde hissed, "_Heero_."

Tannon's face was grim as the quiet stretched between them. "I beg your pardon?"

"I know you hurt her," Heero growled, low and dangerous. He took a step forward. "What did you do?"

The group erupted -

"Yuy, what the hell has gotten into you?"

"Derek, he just got here, he doesn't know -"

"- of all the ludicrous accusations to make -"

" – her _fiancé_, Heero! For Christ's sake – "

But as the voices cried out around him, Heero was focused solely on Tannon. He took three quick paces forward and, entirely without warning, gripped the man by his shirt and shoved him up against the wall. There was a collective gasp from the pilots and their wives as they hurried forward to stop Heero from committing murder in the middle of a hospital.

" – _tell _me, goddamn it," Heero was snarling into Tannon's face, "or I swear I will rip you apart piece by piece - "

Choking slightly as Heero's hands pinned him to the wall, Tannon spat back, "I didn't do anything to her, you jealous prick – " Suddenly, he fell quiet, studying the way Heero was almost shaking in anger. And then, though he was struggling for breath and entirely at the mercy of this fierce, dark-haired newcomer, a small smile spread slowly across Tannon's face as he murmured, "Well, well, well. I finally recognize you. It seems as though the hick-town mechanic thinks he's in love with the queen of the world."

Heero was silent.

"Astonishing," Tannon continued, as the smirk spread even wider. "Did you come all the way down here to tell her you're in love with her? How fascinating that you believe that she could actually feel something for someone like you – "

It was the wrong thing to say, and the pilots knew it. Quatre and Duo both cried out, "Derek, don't – !." but it was too late. Heero's eyes narrowed in fury as he growled, "I will destroy you, you fucking bastard," and let his right fist fly. Tannon saw it coming, but his attempt to avoid the blow was mediocre at best, and as Heero let go, the billionaire slumped to the floor with blood trickling from a deep cut on his cheekbone.

"Heero! Are you out of your _mind_?" Sally cried and immediately rushed to Tannon's side as Zechs, Wufei, Duo, and Trowa pulled Heero away from the blond man. Under any other circumstances, they would never have been able to constrain him, but Heero's attention was immediately diverted from Tannon as, at that instant, the door to the emergency room opened and a physician stepped into the hall.

Mass confusion ensued for a moment as everyone began asking the doctor questions, desperate to know where she was, but the doctor spotted the dazed and bloody Tannon on the floor and cried out sharply, "What the hell is going on here?"

"That man should be thrown out of this damn hospital – " began Tannon unsteadily, but all eyes went to Heero, whose face was devoid of any emotion. "Where is Relena Peacecraft?" he asked calmly.

The doctor eyed Heero warily, and then asked of Derek, "Mr. Tannon, sir, are you all right? What happened?"

Tannon opened his mouth to say something, but Sally cut in: "Doctor, I need a suture kit and extra gauze. This laceration is almost down to the bone."

"Who the hell are you?" the doctor cried, and here Tannon finally said, "Do as she says, Dr. Manning. This is Sally Po; she's the chief medical officer for the Preventers. That man," he added angrily, glaring at Heero, "should be deemed clinically insane and removed from this facility."

"Yes, sir," the doctor responded, picking up a phone on the wall nearby. "I'll have him removed right away - "

"Don't do that," interrupted Zechs quickly.

The doctor paused, and Tannon cried, wincing, "Why the hell not, Merquise? He just – "

"If you want your security guards alive by the end of the night, don't do it." Zechs paused in the sudden silence, then continued, "Retrieve the suture kit for Mr. Tannon, but first, please give us an update on my sister."

Recognizing the Foreign Minister's infamous brother, Dr. Manning did as he was told. "Y-yes, of course, sir. Miss Peacecraft arrived at the hospital about forty-five minutes ago. She has numerous lacerations and bruises, as well as two cracked ribs and a dislocated shoulder. We also believe she had a concussion, and will be taking her for a CT scan within the next half-hour to check for bleeding in the brain."

Catherine drew in a sharp breath and whispered, "Bleeding in the brain?" Zechs and Heero had both visibly paled, and it was Zechs who pressed, "What happened to her?"

"She fell down the stairs." That was Tannon.

Everyone looked to the blond man, who was pressing a handkerchief to his bloody cheek as he continued, "In my house."

"What the hell were you doing?" pressed Zechs. "Relena wouldn't just _fall_ – "

"She was drunk, and it was dark."

"Dark?" Trowa questioned. "The house was dark?"

Tannon nodded, appearing reluctant to continue, but when Trowa cocked a skeptical eyebrow, the billionaire begrudgingly added, "We were – we had been – intimate – "

Heero went still, and the pilots nervously tightened their grips on him, though he made no move toward Tannon.

" – and afterwards she was going downstairs to get another drink, but the lights were off, and I was waiting in bed, and the next thing I heard…"

Zechs' expression was grim. "She was drunk, and fell down your stairs in the dark."

Tannon nodded once, but Zechs slowly questioned, "One flight of stairs gave her a concussion, broken ribs, and dislocated her shoulder?"

"Merquise," Tannon snapped, "I live in a thirty-five million dollar home. It's a three-story, winding staircase."

"I suppose you're right, it's just so - "

"I want to see her."

That was Heero. Silence fell as they watched him warily, but the Perfect Soldier appeared completely stoic and calm. Quatre, however, eyed his comrade with much unease. He knew that the storm raging at that moment beneath Heero's surface must be fearsome indeed.

"She just barely woke up," Dr. Manning replied. "She can have visitors, but only one at a time and it's family first – "

"Of course," Tannon interrupted, getting shakily to his feet. "I'll go in right away."

Heero snarled and made to intercept him, but the Gundam pilots grabbed their friend immediately. "Heero," Duo muttered, "he's her _fiancé_."

He struggled briefly against their hands, but the opportunity was lost – Tannon stepped quickly past, closing the door behind him.

Through the glass panes that allowed one to see into the emergency room, Heero watched as the young billionaire made his way to Relena. From his angle he couldn't see her lying there, but he saw the sickly sweet smile that spread across Tannon's face as he spoke a few words to the prostrate form in the bed. The image forced a hot surge of anger throughout his body, and though his bodyguard's intuition was telling him to watch them carefully, in the end Heero had to turn away.

His friends were watching him cautiously, as if they expected him at any moment to pull out his pistol and shoot up a storm. They weren't too far off; the power and fury of the rage inside him was surprising even Heero. He wanted to destroy everything that meant anything to Tannon, force the man to watch, and then tear him into pieces. Slowly, methodically, and absolutely without mercy.

These mental plans were interrupted by a cold voice.

"Yuy," Zechs said, slowly and dangerously. "What the hell has gotten into you?"

There was a moment's pause as the two men glared at each other in the silent hallway. Then, Heero muttered, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"_Bullshit_!" Zechs exploded, taking two quick steps toward the Perfect Soldier. "You are _deliberately_ here trying to ruin my sister's life. You rip her heart out by disappearing for four years, then you _kidnap_ her and take her to your hellhole of a life in the mountains – "

"Zechs, I didn't – "

" – but then, when she _finally_ gets rid of you and finds happiness with someone else – did you hear that, Yuy? _Happiness_! She has someone who makes her happy, which is a hell of a lot more than you have _ever_ done for her. You bring my sister nothing but heartache and pain, you selfish, cold-hearted prick. I should kill you for what you've done to her."

Zechs' voice rang throughout the hallway, and the rest of the group was silent, stunned by the force behind his words. Heero was standing alone in the middle of the hall, facing the General, who was pale with fury. For one moment, Heero's gaze fell to the floor, and he drew a long breath. Finally, he lifted his head again to face Zechs. When he spoke, his voice was low.

"I know." The words hung tenuously in the air. "I'm not…what she needs. But Zechs, you have to believe me. You know Relena as well as I do. She would never have fallen down those stairs."

Zechs eyes flashed again as he said coldly, "Accidents happen, Yuy. Stop blaming everything on your competition."

"She didn't fall, Zechs."

Relena's brother shook his head with a snort of disgust. Heero looked at the blond general and realized the hopelessness of the situation, until he glanced to the right and saw the way Lucrezia and Hilde were looking at him. Noin stood there near her husband, her eyes searching Heero's piercingly, and Hilde's brow was furrowed in something between confusion and deep thought. But when Zechs began speaking again, neither woman moved to stop him.

"After tonight," he said, "you leave from here, Yuy. I don't care where you go, but I want you away from my sister and her future. I want you to drive as far – "

Zechs' orders were interrupted by the sudden opening of the emergency room door. Tannon sauntered out, still holding a fold of gauze to the cut on his face. Upon seeing him, Zechs immediately stopped himself to ask, "How is she?"

Tannon smiled crookedly and responded in his handsome deep voice, "She's in great spirits. She's pretty embarrassed for being such a klutz, but other than that, she's not feeling too much pain. I think – "

"_I _think," interrupted Dr. Manning, who had just arrived from the opposite direction, "that you, Mr. Tannon, sir, need to have that cut stitched immediately. If you don't mind leaving Miss Peacecraft for a few moments, Alicia here can take care of that for you."

There was a pretty brunette standing next to the doctor. Quickly, Tannon broke into a grin, said, "Certainly," and moved through the group towards the girl.

Hilde couldn't be sure, but as Tannon passed her, she thought she saw him wink and smile at the nurse, looking her petite form up and down very quickly. This exchange happened within milliseconds, and Hilde immediately wondered if she had imagined it; but the feeling of unease persisted.

"….now," Dr. Manning was saying, "she is feeling up for another visitor, if you'd like. Family first, of course."

For a split second, the group glanced at Zechs, who was the only family member in the group and had the right to enter the ER first. But as Heero began to walk towards the door, the pilots and their wives suddenly – involuntarily – found themselves stepping to the side, allowing the dark soldier to pass. Before Zechs had realized what had happened, Heero had silently closed the door to the emergency room behind him.

"What does he think – " Zechs snarled, moving quickly to the door. But before he could get there, his wife placed a hand on his shoulder and stopped the blond general in his tracks.

"Zechs," Lucrezia murmured, watching her husband. "Let him say goodbye to her."

Silently, the two looked at each other, but Lucrezia was eventually the victor. Zechs took a step back from the door to the emergency room, and his gaze dropped to the floor. There was a brief quiet in the hallway as Dr. Manning left to finish his rounds and Sally and Lucrezia thoughtfully watched through the glass as the Perfect Soldier took a few steps toward Relena's bed. But suddenly, as they watched, the women were overcome with the urge to move away, to give them some privacy. It was almost as if a mental message had made its way through the entire group at the same time; without directions or conversation, they all silently took a few steps down the passageway to allow the Perfect Soldier to speak to Relena in private.

Even Zechs, following his wife's lead, moved to sit on a bench a little ways down the hallway.

And as Lucrezia met Hilde's eyes, both women knew they were thinking the same thing. There was something between Heero and Relena that simply didn't exist between Relena and her fiancé.

_But how could that be? _thought Hilde, feeling the cold fingers of concern and worry begin to grip her heart. _She and Derek are so… perfect for each other. And yet…_

* * *

It had been a while since she had been in a hospital. Ever the workaholic, she usually blasted through her under-the-weather days by drinking lots of vitamin C and keeping pain relievers nearby. One would assume that having a serious accident that resulted in a hospital stay would find her frantic, anxious, worried. But here, lying in the hospital bed, staring up at the pale green ceiling, Relena found her thoughts were surprisingly calm.

The scent of Derek's expensive cologne was still hovering around her bedside. As the all-too-familiar smell continued to fill her nostrils, Relena closed her eyes, attempting to banish it away by sheer will.

"_Instead of going to the after-party, darling, I thought it would be nice to spend some time at home."_

"_But – Derek – the organizers of the benefit will be expecting – "_

"_Sweetheart, I'm sure they'll understand. Get in the car, it's too cold out there."_

How bizarre that only a few hours ago she had been seated at a beautifully set table in one of the fanciest restaurants in the city, eating filet mignon and caviar. It really was a lovely place, somewhere she should have enjoyed; but her memory of the meal was tainted with the dark pit of dread that had quietly gnawed away at her insides throughout all four courses.

_She closed the front door quietly behind her, still holding her clutch as she ventured, "I told Lucrezia we would be here for just a little bit… I really should finish some work at home tonight."_

_He flipped on the lights in the grand entrance of his mansion and began untying his bow tie, giving her a kind smile. Too kind? "Relena, you work far too hard. Let's just relax here for a while."_

_She swallowed, so unsure of what to do. Anxiety was there, but… he seemed genuinely concerned about her and determined that she should stay away from work for the evening. Of course, it was not the pile of paperwork on her desk that was calling her back to the Peacecraft estate. At the thought of the dark pilot, standing at the bottom of the stairs earlier that evening, Relena felt her breath catch as she remembered the intensity and – yes – emotions in those dark blue eyes. The decision was made._

"_Derek, I really appreciate this – I know you're trying to help – but honestly, there's just so much to catch up on – "_

"_You can work on it tomorrow."_

_He didn't even look at her. The gentle tone had abruptly become matter-of-fact and stern_.

_She did not protest again._

It had only been a few minutes after she woke up that Derek had come into the room. Now, in the quiet, Relena managed to briefly calm her thoughts and take a mental inventory of her body, connecting the words the doctor had spoken with the aches and pains.

Her right shoulder throbbed, but it was more of a steady fire than a hot sear. Glancing at the IV in her arm, she said a brief prayer of thanks for modern medicine and painkillers. As she took a breath, Relena winced; any movement in or around her torso sent sharp pains across her sides. _Cracked ribs_, the doctor had said. She hadn't looked, but Relena knew that if she were to stand in front of a mirror and lift her left arm, there would most likely be a very ugly bruise just below and to the side of her left breast. Her head ached, and ever-so-gingerly she lifted her arm to touch what she knew would be a large bump on the back of her skull. The whiteboard next to the door listed her for a CT scan in about forty-five minutes.

The doctor's words came to her again. "A fall that traumatic," he had explained slowly, as if she were a small child, "might have really injured your brain - you've probably had a concussion. You should really be more careful."

She closed her eyes again. Yes, more careful.

_Dutifully, she had followed him up the stairs into his large bedroom. Regardless of how she felt about the rest of his house, Relena loved the balcony that was attached to Derek's living area. It overlooked the rest of the city, and since his mansion was perched on a hill much higher than the Peacecraft estate, it afforded her a view of the metropolis that she couldn't find anywhere else._

_Now, as he went into the closet to change, Relena stepped out into the night and walked to the railing. It was cold, but the chill air felt good on her skin, almost as if it were waking her up from a dull sleep. She watched the lights of the city far below - the hundreds of cars on the wide freeways, the tall skyscrapers of downtown, the darker and calmer areas that marked residential subdivisions. For a moment, Relena's mind was caught up in the sheer numbers represented by those lights below her. All of them, her people. Her employers. The people she truly loved and loved to serve._

_It had been foolish to leave them. There was so much to do here, so much good that could be accomplished._

_Without warning, there were warm hands on her upper arms. Relena stiffened ever-so-slightly, immediately trying to calm her speeding heart. "Derek," she murmured, "you scared me."_

_He said nothing, and her pulse quickened._

"_Thank you for accompanying me," she continued, her nerves bidding her to fill the silence. "I hate going to benefit dinners alone, and I know you're so busy with work – "_

_She stopped. He was kissing her shoulder, with slow, precise movements._

_The dread multiplied._

"_Derek…."_

_The kisses traveled across her shoulder to her neck, and he stepped closer to wrap his arms around her more tightly. As he did so, Relena felt icy fingers prick at her heart. He wasn't wearing a shirt._

"_Derek – h-honey, I – "_

"_Shh," he hushed her, and his strong hand gripped her wrist. "Come inside."_

_She knew all too well the strength of that hand. Relena turned as he led her across the balcony and into his bedroom, watching as the starlight illuminated the strong muscles of his back. He was fearsome, this man. A face meant for an Armani model, a body most men would kill for, billions of dollars at his disposal and a winning, debonair charm that could sweep any woman off of her feet. Destiny – that's what the newspapers and magazines and radio shows were calling this. They were destined to be together._

_The bedroom was much warmer than the frigid night air outside, but Relena still felt cold. He led her to the foot of the bed and turned to face her in the quiet. She was frozen, her mind blank with dread and fear, and as his fingers brushed her chin to tilt her lips up to his kiss, Relena suddenly felt adrenaline course through her body. She was terrified._

_The kiss continued, and though it wasn't rough, it wasn't the sweet, tender caress she was used to. For a split second, Relena flashed back to another cold evening – but this one was spent wrapped in a thick, comfortable quilt, encircled in strong arms and gazing into Prussian blue eyes that somehow managed to make her feel simultaneously completely vulnerable and totally secure._

_The memory of him was far too much to handle while she was being kissed by another man. Almost without thinking, Relena placed her hands on Derek's solid chest and pushed back slightly, breaking the embrace a little more forcefully than she had intended._

_At first, he didn't seem concerned._

"_Baby," he whispered, reaching behind her to begin unzipping the black evening dress. "Come get in bed."_

_She twisted away, trying to laugh it off, though the fear was thick in her throat. No matter how hard she tried, the memories of Heero would not retreat, and continued to cloud her senses as she struggled against Derek's advances._

"_Derek – I can't – I mean – "_

"_Baby," he repeated, stressing the word and sounding almost as if he were chuckling. His voice was so sweet…. Too sweet. Far too sweet. "Forget about the work. I promise I will take you straight to the office tomorrow. Come get in bed. It's been way too long."_

"_It's not about the work," Relena replied quickly, praying that her voice sounded sincere enough even as she hastily tried to hold up the dress that he was stubbornly attempting to remove. "I'm sorry, I'm just really tired and – "_

"_Honey, you can sleep in tomorrow." He had won the battle with the zipper. His hands were on the bare skin of the small of her back, moving slowly forward to her stomach. As she desperately tried to hold up the thin fabric covering her chest and torso, he gave a low chuckle and dug his fingers into her skin, pulling her towards him. Relena winced slightly in pain, and tried again:_

"_Derek, really, I'm too tired. I'm sorry, I just – "_

_All of a sudden, his hands stopped on her skin. When he spoke, his voice was low, slow, and dangerous._

"_Is this about him?"_

_Her heart leapt into her throat, and she immediately – too quickly? Oh, God – scrambled for a response. "W-what?"_

_The silence stretched for one beat too long._

"_Is this about him?" he repeated. His fingers were still pressing into her sides._

"_Derek," she said, trying to pull away, "you're hurting me – "_

"_Tell me the answer."_

"_I don't know what you're talking about." Even to herself, Relena's voice sounded surprisingly solid. Derek must have thought so, too, because there was a moment's pause, and he lessened his grip on her body. He tilted his head back to look at her, and after a second gave her a quiet smile. Then he stood, wrapping his arms around her body and pulling her tightly against his broad chest._

_Inwardly, Relena felt her heart calm a little. She breathed a small sigh of relief and inhaled the scent of his expensive cologne. Crisis avoided._

_Then Derek kissed her neck once more, and lifted his mouth to murmur in her ear, "Did you sleep with him?"_

_Panic shot throughout her veins. "Derek – I don't know who – what are you – " she stammered; he was still holding her tightly against his body._

"_The mechanic," came his voice, quiet and chilling. "You slept with him, didn't you."_

_A memory flashed through her mind – waking up one winter morning to feel strong arms around her body and listen to the steady breathing of the former Gundam pilot lying beside her – but before she could say anything, Derek drew back and slapped her across the face._

_Knocked off balance, Relena scrambled to bring a hand to her stinging cheek and straighten her dress at the same time. Hot tears sprang to her eyes at the pain and she cried, "Derek, stop it! – I didn't sleep with anybody, I – "_

"_You know exactly who I'm talking about." He was standing calmly at the foot of the bed, still shirtless, his arms folded across his chest. The very picture of cool dignity, as if he hadn't just slapped his fiancée hard enough to knock her backwards._

"_I don't," she insisted, trying to steady her voice as much as possible. There was a danger here that she had never felt before with him. Too-strong grips and bruises had happened before, but the violence of that slap – and the completely calm way he was regarding her now – was something new, and in that newness, terrifying._

"_Admit it, Relena. You can't admit it to my face that you cheated? The Foreign Minister can't tell it to me straight? I want to hear you say the words."_

"_Derek," she said firmly, holding the tears and fear back by sheer will and putting as much strength into her voice as possible, "I don't know what you're talking about."_

"_ADMIT IT, damn it!" he roared suddenly, slamming his fist against the foot of the bed. "Stop lying to me!"_

"_I didn't sleep with anyone!" she cried in retort, terrified and angry and desperate all at the same time. "I didn't _do_ anything, and you can't… treat me like this, Derek." Nearly choking on the well of emotions in her throat, and still smarting from the slap on her cheek, Relena turned and unsteadily made her way to the door, attempting to zip up her dress as she went._

_But he would not let her go that easily. In a few quick steps, he had caught up to her just outside of the doorway, near the gorgeous staircase. He grabbed her arm and swung her around to face him, his fingers digging deeply into her skin. When she struggled, trying to tear herself away from his grip and escape down the staircase, Derek gripped her other arm with his free hand and yanked her back towards him, his face so close to hers she couldn't tell if he was about to kiss or spit on her. Relena's heart was pounding with a panicked mixture of adrenaline, pain, fear, and desperation – the cold expression in his eyes was nightmarish, something out of horror movies. She could feel the bruises already forming on her upper arms as he clawed into her skin. All she could think was that she had to lie, had to convince him that everything was okay, that she loved him and wanted to be with him, that she would never cheat on him, ever. And she knew she could do it. She could lie to him._

_But at that moment of clarity and temporary calm, he stood over her and commanded, "Tell me it isn't true."_

_Thinking she was safe, that her years of diplomacy training and masking her emotions would save her, Relena held back more tears and said with as much fervor as she could muster, "What isn't true, honey? You know I could never – "_

"_Tell me you're not in love with that mechanic."_

_At those words, Relena felt all the blood drain out of her face and her body grow numb. Whereas just seconds ago she had felt prepared, ready, able to defend herself, now those words left her completely crippled. _That mechanic. _The weeks spent with Heero rushed through her mind, the memory of him and all he meant flooding through her entire body. She remembered the gentle laugh, the protective embraces, the quiet voice and the fierceness of his care for her…and she couldn't say the words._

_The seconds ticked by, her arms crying in pain and Derek's gaze growing colder and colder as she scrambled to say something, to tell him that the mechanic meant nothing, it had been nothing, that she wasn't thinking about him every second of every day – _

_- but she could not. And in the horrible, deafening silence, Derek knew._

_It was enough. Within a few short moments, his fury was unleashed in a way that Relena would not soon forget._

_When she woke next, it was to the sound of a heart monitor._

The fluorescent lights of the emergency room gleamed on the myriad of screens and monitors that surrounded her bed, and caused the diamond ring on her left hand to flash against the wall. Lying there, Derek's sugar-sweet words of apology and affection still ringing in the room, Relena found herself oddly calm. Almost… empty. No, this should not have happened. No, this was not an ideal relationship. No, she couldn't trust her fiancé.

But the bright smiles and overjoyed congratulations from family and friends when they announced their engagement were still fresh in her mind. Relena knew she would never forget turning on the television that next morning and seeing channel after channel talking about how thrilled and excited the population was for their former Queen of the World and her handsome, charming fiancé. It was as if she were giving them a front-row ticket to a real, live fairy tale, and in the violent, troubled times in which they lived, such instances of joy were few and far between. To break this off now would destroy not only that joy, but would also place Relena and her career in a very negative spotlight. She knew that she herself, and the people, could not afford that. There was no time to waste, and especially not on such trivial matters as broken engagements. There was too much to do, and far too much at stake. She had worked too hard for too long to let it fall apart for something like this.

Besides…. It wasn't as if episodes like this happened often. This was the first time it had been this bad. And now that Heero would leave – because she knew he would leave; he had no reason to stay – Derek would forget about the "mechanic." Things would return to normal. The wedding would unite the populace in a wonderful way, and would hopefully set the tone for some significant and necessary work in the upcoming year.

She would forget about Willow Lake – the snow, the cabin, the peace, the gentle but powerful strength of the man at her side – and she would not, _would not_, cry. It was time to press forward, just as he had, without her, four years ago.

But at that moment, her thoughts were broken by the sound of the emergency room door opening and quickly closing. She turned her head to greet the visitor, and instantly, the emotions hit her like a punch in the gut.

Heero stood in the doorway, disheveled and exhausted, stopped still at the sight of her in the bed. But the look in his eyes – a wild, stormy concern and hurricane of emotions – was something entirely new and unknown. Immediately, the walls she had so carefully constructed around her heart crumbled to the ground, and when she heard him speak her name in that low, quiet voice she knew so well, Relena had to close her eyes to keep the tears from falling.


End file.
